Planning for "divisive" conversion of hotel's function room is granted
The Dolphin Hotel in Crossmolina.
An Coimisiún Pleanála have overturned Mayo County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission to convert the function room of the Dolphin Hotel in Crossmolina into residential accommodation.
The Council refused permission to developer Pat Mulhern Civil Engineering Limited for the proposed development last September over concerns that the plans constituted an overdevelopment of the site. In addition, the local authority said the development would intensify traffic at the existing entrance and would therefore endanger public safety.
The proposal attracted strong opposition locally with 78 third-party observations submitted to Mayo County Council objecting to the change of use proposal. These included concerns relating to However, An Coimisiún Pleanála have now granted planning permission for the proposal subject to a number of conditions, including the omission of two ground floor rooms and for this area to instead function as a common area.
They have also included a condition that a detailed Operational Management Plan, which includes provisions for dealing with potential anti-social behaviour, noise and disturbance, be put in place.
Speaking at yesterday’s monthly meeting of the Ballina Municipal District, local Councillor Michael Loftus described the proposal as “very divisive” in the area and said Mayo County Council would need to ensure that all statutory obligations regarding fire safety regulations are met in the Dolphin.
“It was an awful disappointment for the community that this was agreed. I am extremely disappointed to see it go in and what it is doing. It is very divisive,” he said.
Head of the MD Declan Turnbull said in reply that he had not seen the conditions or details of An Coimisiún Pleanála's decision at the time of the meeting and could not comment on it.
The building offers homeless accommodation in partnership with Mayo County Council and in a cover letter attached to original planning application, the development noted there is an option to revert to hotel use in the future.
