First view of the plan for center parcs in ballymahon

At its second Community Day in Ballymahon Library today, Center Parcs Chief Executive Martin Dalby provided residents with an update on how their proposed plan for a Center Parcs village on the site at Newcastle Wood is progressing and shared a preliminary site layout.

Center Parcs proposed €200m development in Newcastle Wood will create approximately 750 jobs during construction.

Once open and operational, the holiday village would have capacity for up to 2,500 guests and employ up to 1,000 people in permanent jobs, with the majority of employees likely to live locally.Center Parcs estimates that, when operational, the new holiday village would add approximately €32 million to Irish GDP per annum.

A key feature of the preliminary master layout is a 40m protected woodland buffer zone around the perimeter of the proposed site at Newcastle Wood. This 40m belt of woodland will incorporate a new circular walking route, including a riverside walkway, so that the local community can continue to enjoy the forest at Newcastle Wood.

Center Parcs explained to local residents and community groups that the company’s ecologically friendly development and design process starts as soon as the site is selected. Ecological surveys are undertaken immediately to assess the profile of the land and the woodlands.

Ecological surveys are ongoing at Newcastle Wood and are informing the proposed layout of the holiday village. These surveys allow Center Parcs to ensure that rich woodlands are maintained and, where possible, will use existing paths and tracks so that construction causes as little disruption as possible to the natural environment.

Center Parcs only plan to build on approximately 10% of the total site meaning the majority of woodlands remain untouched. Once construction is complete, Center Parcs undertakes an extensive programme of replanting of native species of trees and shrubs, emphasising the company’s green credentials.

Martin Dalby and senior company representatives from Center Parcs also announced that they are looking at options for the restoration of the Herdsman’s Hut on the site at as part of their upcoming planning application. Center Parcs is proposing to sensitively restore the stone hut and possibly incorporate it into a Nature Centre as part of the village.

Commenting at the Community Day, Martin Dalby, Chief Executive of Center Parcs said: “We have been actively engaging with the local community here since we announced our intention to bring Center Parcs to County Longford back in April. A large amount of survey and design work has taken place since we were last here, and we felt now was the right time to share our progress with the local community. We are delighted to be here today to talk people through our initial thoughts on the layout of the site”.

A more detailed proposal for the site will be made available when the planning application is complete later this year.