Plans for new apartment complex in Mayo town are shot down
The former coal yard in Castlebar.
Mayo County Council has rejected a proposal for an apartment development at the site of a former coal storage yard,
The local authority refused planning for the project at the Pontoon Road/Turlough Road junction. There had been plans to build 19 apartments at the location.
A number of residents and local Independent councillors Michael Kilcoyne, Blackie Gavin, and Harry Barrett objected to the development. Concerns were raised about over-development of a small site. It was argued that the excessive height and scale of the project were inconsistent and out of character with the established pattern of development in the area.
Cllr Kilcoyne raised parking concerns and said he feared the lack of parking provision could lead to indiscriminate parking that could hamper the HSE ambulance service located on the grounds of the nearby Sacred Heart Hospital.
Cllr Barrett said while there is a need for housing in the county town, the proposal, in its current form, presented "significant adverse impacts on local amenities, safety and the character of the area."
Cllr Gavin cited potential traffic hazards given the development's proposed location a busy junction. He also expressed concern for elderly people and wheelchair users accessing the nearby Sacred Heart Hospital.
