Longford poised for massive jobs boost

The investment will see the creation of 300 jobs during construction and 250 permanent jobs once operational.

Longford County Council granted permission to Center Parcs for the €85 million expansion of the Ballymahon based holiday destination subject to 20 planning conditions.

Center Parcs lodged the planning application to extend their operation last August.

At present Center Parcs Longford Forest accommodates up to 2,500 guests in its 466 self-catering lodges and 30 apartments.

The holiday village was granted permission to increase the number of units and services provided with a major extension to its facilities in Newcastle Wood.

The approval covers 198 new lodges located in three zones.

This will comprise of 56 two-bedroom lodges, 105 three-bedroom lodges, 32 four-bedroom lodges, one five-bedroom lodge, and four six-bedroom lodges.

The expansion will see external sauna or pods associated with specific lodges, coffee shop, lakeside restaurant, energy centre, staff welfare and storage building.

The plans submitted cover two remote housekeeping stores, extensions and alterations to existing commercial retail and leisure buildings.

The alterations include extensions to housekeeping and technical services, extension to existing Aqua Sauna spa facility (to include new treatment rooms and treetop sauna) the extension of the existing Sub-Tropical Swimming Paradise, Sports Hall, Village Centre restaurants, Huck's restaurant, Cara's restaurant, Sports Café restaurant and Bella Italia restaurant.

A district heating system, solar panels, wastewater treatment plant, car park, the provision of electrical vehicle charging points and cycle parking are also included in the planning application.

Last month the holiday firm confirmed that over one million people have visited Longford forest since it opened in August of 2019.

“It's great news really,” Cllr Pat O'Toole said of the decision by the council planners to approve the expansion plans.
Cllr O'Toole acknowledged local concerns about traffic management issues: “There will be an increased volume of traffic, particularly on the R392, the old Mullingar road out of Ballymahon. There are a few areas on that road that are not great. People have been looking for improvement on sight lines. The Abbeyshrule Road is another area of concern, but the council have plans for work on that road.”

The Fianna Fáil representative believes the plans are of real benefit tot he locality: “I would say that most of the issues that are raised in the submissions will be dealt with in the course of the constructions. There is over €85M being spent. There will be 300 jobs during construction and another 250 thereafter.”

Cllr O'Toole says Centre Parks has been a real boon for the area: “When you see the bikes on the back of the cars, you know exactly where they are going. There's a great spin off for the town, without any doubt.”

The cost of the planning application was €38,000. The submission by the holiday company included 28 assessments on different aspects of the plans including: Community Engagement, Arboricultural Impact Assessment, Energy Statement, Badger Survey Results & Sett Location Maps, and a Bat Report.

A total of nine submissions were made to the planning department on the application from private individuals and State bodies. Representations on the development were made to the local authority by Cllr Paul Ross and Cllr Mick Cahill.

In a joint submission Sharon Higgins and Domhnall Keyes raised the issue of road safety, citing the high volume of traffic on change over days. The submission said there were a number of “near misses” on the roads because of the traffic volumes.

Their second cause of concern was utilities, specifically issues with water. The submission stated when the holiday resort was “being filled” with water residents in the area were without water for three days.

Milltown GAA, Club, Rathconrath, Westmeath are 16 kilometres away for Ballymahon. The club made a submission to the Longford local authority planners offering their “steadfast support” to the project sayings it “brought much needed economic and tourist activity” to the area. They suggested that any increase in traffic flow was “an acceptable inconvenience”.

In a submission to the planners Richard Heighton the Managing Director of Newcastle House Hotel and Country Club said the application did not adequately address the environment impact on Newcastel House and a recent application they made for a camping holiday park. He said that Holiday Park has “already created total destruction of the one 160 hectares forest which was once part of the Newcastle house Estate”.

Mr Heighton claims staff use a road a road in breach of regulations in place from the previous planning permission. Damage to protected structure, water supply issues, holiday makers “wandering on to Newcastle House lands” and the rout of construction traffic were also points raised by the Hotel MD.

In his submission Ballymahon man PJ Walsh pointed to the pressure on the water and roads infrastructure. He also raised an issue about buried asbestos contaminated waste in a landfill in Ballymulvey in the late 80s.

Other grounds for objection by Mr Walsh include that it's his beef a risk assessment on the area has not been carried out, and the implication and liability of working in asbestos contaminated area.

A submission by Myvore resident Olive McCormack said she was not objection to the planing application by Centre Parks, but asked the local authority to take traffic management efforts into consideration on local roads what experience high volume s of traffic.

Irish Water Transport Infrastructure Ireland Inland Fisheries Ireland and a submission by and Environmental Health Officer with the HSE are also on record.

The conditions attached to the planning permission include: the compilation of a road safety audit, adherence to the submitted plans, protection of water bodies, monitoring of the site by an archaeologist, noise, waste management, and water considerations, and the payment of a development fee of €329,688.