The members of the Claremorris electoral area committee have given their full backing to a planning application from Davitts GAA club to upgrade its existing facilities including the construction of new serviced dressing rooms and septic tank facilities at Castlemagarret Park New, Ballindine, despite the application being listed to be refused permission by Mayo County Council. The June meeting of the committee was told by John McMyler, senior executive planner for Mayo County Council, that the development was listed for refusal because the development was on a national primary road and the junction onto the N17 was deemed unsafe.
However all the elected members of the authority were full throated in their support for the project, with Cllr John Cribben pointing out that funding had been got from the Department of Sport for the project, there was already an existing facility there and all they were looking to do was to improve the current facilities and the site was serviced by a slip road that also serviced two houses. Cllr Richard Finn pointed out that because the facility was already there and being used, it was not going to increase any traffic in and out of the development. Cllr Tom Connolly suggested the junction that is deemed unsafe could be redesigned by the NRA if it wanted to make it more safe, but he could see no reason why this would be refused. The due date for the decision on the application is September 11 2013.
