Plans to turn former west Mayo pub into apartments refused

Plans to turn a rural former west Mayo pub into four apartments have been rejected by Mayo County Council who cited concerns over the suitability of such a development in a rural area.

The current owners of Digger Jays pub, which is located approximately 8km from Westport in Toorbuck, Ayle, had applied for planning permission to change the use of the existing pub to four two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 77.9 square metres to 91.4 square metres.

Digger Jay's has been closed as a pub for a number of years and is currently derelict but was once a thriving business with a large dancefloor which attracted large crowds who came to see some of the top Irish Country and Western singers who regularly played there.

The applicant, Novaquest Limited, a company with an address in Meneen, Aughagower had applied to Mayo County Council to develop the pub into three two-bed apartments including the renovation of an existing attached dwelling house and to extend an existing attic store to provide one two-bed apartment.

This proposed application would have resulted in a change to the front elevation and the replacement of the flat roof element to a pitched roof as well as two box dormers to the rear elevation to provide for one of the apartments.

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However, a submission/observation to the application was lodged by neighbouring landowner, Seán McGing who noted that it is proposed to dispose of the treated effluent from the site to a percolation area within his land.

He said the matter had never been discussed with him nor was his permission sought and expressed concern the impact the disposal of effluent from the residential units will have on his land, which he added is prone to flooding.

In accessing the application, planners for Mayo County Council stated that the location of the proposed development is in an unserviced rural area outside of any settlement/village and as such does not comply with the Mayo County Development Plan 2022-2028 where multiple residential units are directed into defined settlements.

The proposed development was described as 'suburban in nature' and is 'out of character with the existing development in the area'.

“Notwithstanding the fact that no details were submitted regarding the capability of the existing treatment system to accommodate the proposal, a multi-unit development serviced by a treatment system is considered substandard and can lead to issues with maintenance in the future,” the planning report stated.

As a result, Mayo County Council refused planning permission for the proposed development.