Pharmacist granted 'leave of appeal' to appeal Mayo hostel development

A COUNTY Clare pharmacist has been granted leave of appeal by An Bord Pleanála to appeal against the decision to grant planning permission for a new hostel in Westport.

Aidan Murphy of Murphy's Total Health Pharmacy in Ennistymon, Co Clare applied for the leave of appeal after Mayo County Council granted planning planning permissionto Sligo-based developer Brendan Power to develop and renovate the old cap factory building located between Bridge Street and James Street in Westport into an eight bedroom 'boutique hostel'.

Mr Murphy is the owner of an adjoining premises and in his application for the leave of appeal stated that he is the owner of the ground floor which is 'supporting part of the two upper floors' of the proposed development.

Mr Murphy claimed that condition two of the eight planning conditions set out by Mayo County Council in granting permission will 'change part of the proposed development from what was originally proposed in the planning application'. He claimed this condition is 'entirely unreasonable' as it may affect his property and 'leave me vulnerable to the possibility of damage to my premises due to inadequate treatment of the first and second floor elevations'.

Mr Murphy did not make a submission to Mayo County Council on the planning application but the leave to appeal was open to him as he is a person with an interest in adjoining land.

In granting the application of appeal, the Board of An Bord Pleanála stated that Mr Murphy had met the requirements for a leave of appeal and that the 'imposition of condition numbered 2 will materially affect the applicant's enjoyment of the land adjoining the land in respect of which it has been decided to grant permission'.

Mr Power had originally sought permission to develop the old Cap Factory Building which dates back to the early 19th century into a 13 bedroom hostel. However, following opposition he revised his plans and reduced the number of proposed bedrooms from 13 to eight.

As a result of the redesign of the building, Mayo County Council granted planning permission for the proposed development subject to eight conditions.

Westport publican Joe O'Malley who is the proprietor of The Porter House pub on Bridge Street also lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against the decision to grant planning permission for the hostel.

In his appeal to An Bord Pleanála, Mr O'Malley outlined six grounds of appeal in relation to the proposed development which included insufficient legal interest, poor quality tourism accommodation and concern over potential future change of use. The decision on the appeal is expected to be made by An Bord Pleanála early in 2025.

The old cap factory building is within the Architectural Conservation Area of the town and has been derelict since it closed in the 1980s. Mr Power has been seeking to develop the building for the last number of years without success.

An application in 2021 to develop apartments and a work unit in the old Cap Factory were turned down by both Mayo County Council and An Bord Pleanála.