Mayo soccer club gets go-ahead for major project
A Mayo soccer club has been granted permission for a new development as long as measures to protect ‘sites of archaeological significance' are provided.
Ballinrobe Town Association Football Club was granted planning permission by Mayo Co Council to develop a new clubhouse along with three new pitches comprising one full-size grass pitch, one full-size all-weather 4G astro pitch and one nine-a-side mini-3G astro all-weather pitch on a greenfield site at The Neale Road.
The club stated that the development is required as there is significant overcrowding at the existing site where facilities are shared with other local community groups and organisations.
The proposed development site is 3.97 hectares and located across five fields immediately north of the existing Ballinrobe graveyard. It will involve the demolition of existing agricultural sheds and it is proposed to share the access road currently used by the Ballinrobe graveyard.
An archaeological impact assessment (AIA) of the location revealed three sites of 'potential archaeological significance'. These included a house site, a possible cashel and a section of a relict field boundary with concerns raised about the impact of the project on the sites.
It was recommended that the house site and the possible cashel be preserved in situ within the proposed development with an appropriate buffer zone established around each one.
“As it is unclear as to the dating and archaeological significance of the relict field boundary, it is recommended that this feature will be the subject of preservation by record with the investigation of the feature in the form of the excavation of a number of test trenches across it by a suitably qualified archaeologist, in advance of the commencement of any development works and the archaeological monitoring of its removal,” the report stated.
The club pledged to work with the council regarding any pre-commencement conditions but expressed concerns about the financial implications for archaeological testing.
The council agreed to grant planning permission for the development subject to ten conditions. Prior to the commencement of the development, the house site and the possible cashel should be preserved in situ within the proposed development.
It was also stipulated that an appropriate buffer zone should be established around the archaeological sites and should be permanently fenced off from the proposed development while the relict field boundary should be archaeologically excavated by a suitably qualified archaeologist.
