Longford Co Council to consult on Centre Parcs planning application
By Sean Ryan
A planning application for one of the biggest activity parks in Ireland or Britain was lodged with Longford County Council this morning.
Center Parcs has formally submitted a planning application to Longford Co Council to develop a holiday village on a 395-acre site at Newcastle Wood, 5km outside Ballymahon.
Longford Co Council will now undertake a five-week period of consultation, during which time the Center Parcs plans will be on public display at the Council office.
The planning application outlines the impact that Center Parcs Longford Forest could have at a county, regional and national level.
The UK firm said the €233m development would provide up to 1,000 permanent jobs at the holiday village once it is operational. In addition, 750 jobs would be created during the construction phase of the project. The new centre would bring 250,000 visitors to Longford each year according to Center Parcs.
The proposed holiday village would comprise 470 Lodges and 30 apartments, as well as over 100 indoor and outdoor activities. The company announced in April that it had chosen the Longford site after it signed an option agreement with Coillte.
Center Parcs CEO Martin Dalby said: “The submission of our planning application today is a key milestone in our ambition to bring Center Parcs to Ireland.
This is one of the biggest tourism developments in the history of the Midlands and will have a hugely positive economic impact on the area. “We have more than 28 years’ experience in the UK and I’m genuinely excited about the prospect of bringing that quality short break experience to Ireland,” he added.
The park could open as early as 2019.
