€5.5m Achill development given green light

€5.5m Achill development given green light


Anton McNulty

AN ambitious development which will ‘transform’ the village of Achill Sound consisting of a number of commercial and retail units as well as 16 apartments has been given planning permission.
The 34 unit mixed development consisting of offices, commercial and retail units, apartments and two houses was granted planning permission by Mayo County Council last Monday, nearly a year after the application was first lodged. The man behind the €5.5 million development is local developer Paul McNamara who told The Mayo News that he was delighted that planning was approved and they hoped to be on site at the end of October.
He said that over two years of planning had gone into the project which he believes will change the outlook of the village. He said that Achill Sound is the gateway to the island and expected this to be a catalyst for further development.
“It is ambitious in a way when you think that Achill Sound has not changed in the last 50 or 60 years. It will change the format of the Sound as we know it today because it will be the first development to have a street façade. I do believe Achill Sound has fallen behind because in other towns of villages there is some sort of new development. But now we have the new bridge which is a fine project and the sewerage scheme. I always knew it was a sleeping village and if something happened it would trigger its growth. It is a the gateway into Achill and the first place you drive through and I always knew it had potential,” he explained.
The development which is located adjacent to the Achill Sound Hotel will see the demolition of two existing dwelling houses and the existing Achill Sound Pharmacy. Designed by Achill-based Consultant Engineers, Amson Masterson, the project includes a two storey commercial building consisting of nine commercial units along with a two storey retail and office space building block. The development will also see the construction of 16 apartments and two dwelling houses as well as a shoreline board walk.
The former Mayo minor and U-21 footballer added that the sewerage scheme was crucial to the project going ahead because the Council would not look at the application without it. He said that phase one of the project which includes the commercial building is expected to start at the end of October.
“There was been a lot of interest from people since the application was lodged and in the time it has been approved. People say I am mad in the head to be doing this in a recession. This is a big project in todays construction climate - costing €5.5 million - and there is nothing like this happening around here. But you can’t stand still and I feel if we can make it work,” he said.