Planning granted to retain new High Chaparral in north Mayo

MAYO County Council have granted planning permission to retain and reconstruct an iconic Erris pub which was destroyed by a fire in the spring.

The High Chaparral in the village of Geesala was gutted by a fire which broke out in the pub in the early hours of February 7 last leaving just the shell of the building still standing.

The pub which has been run by the Munnelly family for 75 years was the centre of activity in the village and a decision was made to rebuild the pub in time for the annual Geesala Festival which takes place from August 10 to 17.

Work quickly began on the new building which was built on the footprint of the old pub and a planning application to retain the walls and reconstruct the existing pub was submitted to Mayo County Council.

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Plans submitted showed that all finishes will match the structure pre fire but there will be alterations to the interior with new male and female toilets and a reduction in the size of the lounge area. There will also be a new pool room and dart board area.

Further information was sought by Mayo County Council planners regarding the new site layout and an adjoining building.

In relation to the adjoining building, the applicants stated it was an existing dwelling which was constructed over 80 years ago and will be connected to the pub and used for staff accommodation. The new roof of the pub will extend over this building and replace the existing leaking roof.

A revised site layout plan was also submitted which outlined footpath and existing parking area but planners noted the layout does not detail the number of parking spaces to be provided and just one disabled parking space and EV space are detailed.

Planning was granted for the application subject to conditions with one of the conditions stating that a revised site layout plan must be submitted to reflecting parking for the pub

At the beginning of July, The High Chaparral posted an update and stated that the work on the pub was ongoing and will be open in time for the Geesala Festival.