Design team yet to be put in place for Keem discovery point

CRITICISMS  Cllr Paul McNamara

Anton McNulty

A SENIOR official with Mayo County Council has admitted that they have yet to tender for a design team for the Wild Atlantic Way Signature Discovery for Keem Bay, four years after it was unveiled.
The first announcement for the Keem Bay Discovery Point on Achill Island was made in February 2015 and at the time it was estimated that it would be completed and open to the public by the summer of 2018.
However, no progress has been made on the design of the project and Achill-based councillor Paul McNamara expressed his frustration when he raised the matter at yesterday’s (Monday) meeting of the West Mayo Municipal District.
“That project was announced five years ago and five years on we are no further on from it. There is still no word of it being in planning or going to planning or a design being produced. There seems to be some problem in delivering that project for Achill,” he said.
In reply, Catherine McConnell, Director of Services with Mayo County Council said there were ‘environmental sensitivities’ around the project but stressed both themselves and FΡilte Ireland still considered the discovery point as one of their flagship projects.
“We have had discussions back and forth between ourselves and FΡilte Ireland because it is going to be one of the flagship projects along the Wild Atlantic Way. As you know there are environmental sensitivities there and traffic management sensitivities but I do want to say we have not in any way shape or form forgotten about it.
“We had meeting as recently as three weeks ago with FΡilte Ireland to look at the specifics of it. We do have to tender for a design team because of the various strands of environmental and traffic management but it will be coming to fruition pretty soon,” she said.
Cllr McNamara replied that while he welcomed what she said but was disheartened to think it could be another five years before it is developed. He also expressed frustrations at the lack of facilities for the public along the Wild Atlantic Way and called for a plan to be put in place to develop infrastructure along it.
“Every time I have raised it and I have raised it every ten months, it is the same answer I get. What I want is a process put in place and milestones set on what we have to achieve. It is very disheartening if it takes another five years to deliver. Unless there is a plan put in place fairly quickly and a design team is put to work it is going to drift away for another five years.”