Mayo youth group hit out at council neglect

A WESTPORT group have claimed that 'neglect' by Mayo County Council of a green area in the centre of the town has led to it becoming a centre of anti-social behaviour.

Westport Family and Community Resource Centre and Westport Youth for Action have both defended their stance in opposing the sale of public green space by Mayo County Council following criticism from a local councillor.

The sale of 0.67 acres of land at Church Lane in Westport to Wyatt Hotel Limited for €675,000 was approved at last Monday's monthly meeting of Mayo County Council despite calls by some councillors to defer the sale.

A large number of people who opposed the sale of the green space located close to the Westport Leisure Centre attended the meeting and held a silent protest before the meeting.

Local councillors defended the sale of the land which they say was zoned for town centre development and had become a scene of anti-social behaviour for many years.

Disrepair

HOWEVER, Westport Action for Youth in a statement to The Mayo News claimed that neglect by Mayo County Council has resulted in the area running into disrepair and leading to anti-social behaviour.

“In May 2023, Westport was awarded €40,000 through the Community Recognition Fund, intended to upgrade the town’s deteriorating playground. However, when the site closed for works in August 2024, residents discovered that the entire fund had been spent on installing a metal security fence, while the playground itself remained in a hazardous state with broken equipment, exposed nails and rotten wooden frames.

“Local councillors later confirmed that the funding was used solely on the fence, proclaiming vandalism by local youths as the contributing factor. But local campaigners dispute this, stating that due to lack of maintenance, the town green space has fallen into neglect, leading to its misuse by local youths who show little regard for spaces that are poorly cared for,” they stated.

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In response to this, residents formed Westport Action for Youth (WAY) in October 2024, calling for not just repairs, but a wider vision for the space — one that would serve all members of the community. A petition launched later that month gained over 1,300 signatures, and a 'playful protest' held in November 2024 drew more than 150 people.

“Community members pushed ahead and began organising a local consultation campaign to gather ideas for a public park. Meetings with councillors, in which minutes were taken, were largely positive, with some expressing willingness to support a rejuvenation plan for a town park,” the group stated.

Westport Action for Youth described the sale of the green land as 'wilful neglect' of a vital community asset and described their year-long campaign as a 'a powerful example of grassroots activism driven by frustration, hope, and a shared vision for public space'.

Westport-based councillor Brendan Mulroy, who voted for the sale of the green space, told The Mayo News that he defended the process behind the sale and the extension of the hotel will lead to employment for young people.

He also pointed out that the land was never zoned for green space and it was initially identified as the location of the new civic offices in the town before it was decided to locate the offices at the Westport convent site.

“We will have conversations with any community group regarding green space in the town but that land was never zoned for green space and was always zoned for town centre development. There has been anti-social behaviour associated with that area for a number of years and at one stage there was a bridge to St Mary's Crescent which had to be taken away due to anti-social behaviour,” he said.

Criticism

BOTH Cllr Mulroy and Cllr Peter Flynn criticised an online complaint against the sale claiming that it had spread 'misinformation' and some aspects of the opposition had been 'libelous'.

Westport Family and Community Resource Centre, who were criticised by Cllr Flynn for their opposition to the sale, issued a statement defending their stance and support of Westport Action for Youth's campaign.

They stated that their campaign against the sale of public land to cater for the extension of the Wyatt Hotel in Westport 'reflects exactly the kind of active, engaged citizenship our Centre is here to support'.

“We are proud to show support for Westport Action for Youth, a group of parents and community members who have come together to highlight the urgent need for the redevelopment of the town playground and green area and the creation of free, inclusive community spaces in our town. This is a community-led campaign, developed and driven by local people committed to creating a vision for their shared space.
“The campaign itself reflects exactly the kind of active, engaged citizenship our Centre is here to support. Our work is grounded in the community development approach with core values of participation, empowerment, and collectivity as set out in our strategic plan and service level agreement. Participatory Democracy is a key aspect of the work of FRCs who are involved in capacity building local communities and are agents of change for our local community and wider society.

Advocating

“WE highlight and champion groups like Westport Action for Youth to take the lead in advocating for the kind of community they want to live in. It is imperative that all community members feel empowered to voice their opinions, ask questions, and engage in open dialogue about the future of their town. To mischaracterise this work or dismiss those involved is not only unhelpful, but it undermines the very spirit of civic participation we should all be encouraging.
“We stand with community members who engage thoughtfully, respectfully, and creatively to make Westport a better place for all. We want to thank everyone who has reached out with messages of support in response to us highlighting this issue. Your encouragement and solidarity mean a great deal,” the statement read.

During last week's council meeting, Westport councillor Peter Flynn who proposed the sale, stated that a Facebook post by the Centre led to a campaign of misinformation about the sale and accusations it was underhanded and shady.

“The Family Resource Centre started a campaign last week to cause this rift within our town. As Cathaoirleach of the municipal district I did not get one single call from the Family Resource Centre asking for clarification on what was planned and why we were doing it and the history behind it.

“Instead it was a social media campaign with the jungle drums running with a load of misinformation going out into the public domain. That is not the way we do business in Westport and not the way we want to do business in this county. We have to be sitting down together trying to find solutions rather than go to social media and come up with misinformation,” he said.

The meeting heard that as well as receiving €675,000 for the land, Mayo County Council would also receive an additional €280,000 as contribution towards the development of public amenities. It is proposed that The Wyatt Hotel will be expanded to accommodate 50 extra bedrooms while an underground carpark with 160 spaces will also be developed.

A motion proposed by Carrowholly-based councillor John O'Malley to defer the sale of the land to the September meeting was defeated following a vote by the councillors. Following this, a vote was taken on the proposal to dispose of the land with the councillors backing it by 22 votes to two, with the four Westport-based councillors all voting in favour.

Two Castlebar-based councillors Harry Barrett and Blackie Gavin voted against the sale of the land and their action was criticised by Cllr Mulroy.

“It is a sad day for Mayo County Council that two public representatives in Castlebar would vote against a development in Westport. It was not the business of the Castlebar councillors to interfere in a Westport development and I would not vote against the development of a hotel in Castlebar. I would urge the Castlebar councillors to look after their own area before they start interfering with Westport business,” he said.