Free Christmas parking in Westport
As agreed at the November Westport-Belmullet Municipal District meeting, in an initiative to support traders in the run up to Christmas, there will be free customer parking in all Westport Town Centre car parks between 8.30am and 2pm daily for the month of December 2020. This applies to car parks only. The existing charges for on-street parking remain in place at all times. New parking machines facilitating the use of coin/contactless parking payment machines are now operational in Westport. The sale of parking discs introduced in April 2019 is being discontinued. However, valid discs on display will continue be accepted by traffic wardens. Parking throughout Westport can also be paid for by using the Mayo E-Parking App. This can be downloaded at https://bookings.parkmagic.net/MCC/ or via the app store as Mayo E-Parking app.
Unfair on pyrite suffers to have to apply for planning permission to rebuild homes
The fact that homeowners who have been affected by pyrite in north Mayo will have to apply for planning permission if they demolish their affected homes and rebuild them was hit out at as being very unfair by councillors this week. Fine Gael Cllr Gerry Coyle raised the issue at the December meeting of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District. He called for the councillors to be able to approve the planning permission - like they would do with part eight applications for projects by the council. Cllr Coyle said at the meeting: "What happens if somebody objects to the application and it has to go to on Board Pleanala or there is a issue with a septic tank or a trial hole." Cathaoirleach of the district Cllr Sean Carey backed up Cllr Coyle saying that because there was already and existing house there they should not have to reapply if they are rebuilding a similar house, he also pointed out that the people affected are only getting 90 per cent of the cost under the state scheme to assist them and they are not getting any money to cover the cost of rent while they are having their homes rebuilt - something at is totally unfair he added.
Councillor looks for greenway toilets
A independent member of Mayo County Council has called for the local authority to look into providing toilet facilities along the Great Western Greenway. Cllr Johno O'Malley raised the issue at the December meeting of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District on Monday - he told the meeting that there were portable toilets put in place along the greenway a number of months ago near Kilmeena but they have been removed. He added that they were probably moved once a roadworks project was completed in the area, but he felt that they had been a good addition to the greenway and were used quite often by members of the public and could they be reinstated.
Westport to open late for shoppers
The initiative of a number of businesses in Westport to open late on Thursday and Friday evenings was praised that the December meting of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District this week. Cllr Peter Flynn was fulsome in his support for the initiate where a number of shops will be remaining open until 8pm on those evenings in the build up to Christmas and he urged that people shopped local when they could in the build up to the festive season to ensure that the businesses in the town can keep their doors open going forward.
