Demolition of Healy’s Hotel appealed

APPEAL A planning decision allowing the demolition of Healy’s Hotel in Pontoon has been appealed.

Anton McNulty

The decision by Mayo County Council to allow developers to demolish the building formerly known as Healy’s Hotel in Pontoon has been appealed to An Bord PleanΡla.
The local authority granted planning permission in April to Pontoon Anglers’ Hotel Ltd for the demolition of the 19th century building located on the shores of Long Cullin and replace it with a new 14-bedroom hotel along with a bar, lounge and restaurant.
The existing building has been open to the public since the 1840s as a bar, hotel and restaurant and fishing lodge. Part of the building was destroyed by fire in 2011 causing some structural damage and was placed on the market in 2015. It was purchased by Mayo-born businessman Michael Cusack and his business partner John Reddington.
The building was not included on the Record of Protected Structures and there is no protection on the building.
The decision to grant planning permission for the development has been appealed to An Bord PleanΡla by Éilis Healy, who had previously objected to the demolition of the building during the planning stage.
In her submission to the planning authority, Ms Healy, who has an address in Brussels in Belgium, said she welcomed the ‘promise of renewed life’ at the location but opposed the demolition of the core structure of the building.
“The building now under imminent threat is a very modest, site-appropriate building. It’s replacement by the structure approved by the local authority brings about an unacknowledged and largely unevaluated heritage loss in an area of recognised historical, heritage, and amenity value, and a persuasive case for its loss, rather than its sensitive refurbishment and extension, has not been made.”
She added: “I am fully aware of widespread local support for renewed commercial activity in the Knockaglana area, and I have enormous personal regard for many of those who support the proposed development and who will see in this referral an unwelcome impediment to progress.
“I commend the commitment to the area shown by the hotel’s new owners and I regret the consequences to them of any delay to the commencement of building work on site. I wish them long and successful tenure.
“I consider, however, that the local authority’s decision in this matter is a very significant one for the place of heritage, conservation and suitable tourism considerations in the evaluation of sensitive planning proposals of this,” she wrote in the submission.
Before permission was granted for the development, planners with the council expressed reservations about the proposals and asked the applicant to ‘consider the refurbishment of the existing building with a sympathetic extension’.
Mayo County Council stated the applicants provided a re-design of the original proposals which is ‘more acceptable’ to the council and permission was granted subject to conditions.