Mayo hotel given green light for major expansion despite local opposition
Planning permission has been granted for a major expansion of the Wyatt Hotel in Westport, paving the way for a significant town-centre extension despite objections from local community members.
The project will deliver 72 additional bedrooms, 88 basement car parking spaces, and 20 ground-level public parking spaces along Church Street.
The large-scale development will include a three-storey extension over a semi-basement car park to the rear and sides of the existing building.
The 5,333-square-metre extension will also include staff accommodation, an ESB substation, plant rooms, and other ancillary facilities.
Internal alterations at the ground floor level will see six existing bedrooms converted to expand the hotel’s dining area, while works at the lower ground floor level will see alterations made to the car park and the demolition of three existing staff houses.
The development will also see the hotel’s goods delivery set-down area relocated from Church Street to Lower Peter Street.
Plans further include the construction of a new public pedestrian pathway linking Church Street with the Leisure Centre car park, along with associated site works including site clearance, boundary treatments, external public lighting and hard and soft landscaping.
According to the planning application, the development is expected to create 35 jobs and increase visitor numbers and footfall in Westport, benefiting other local businesses.
Planning permission for the site, located off The Octagon, Lower Peter Street, Church Street and the Leisure Centre car park in Westport town centre, has been granted subject to 13 conditions.
The decision follows community opposition dating back to the early stages of the planning process, when Mayo County Council voted to dispose of 0.67 acres of land to the Wyatt Hotel for €670,000 for the purposes of the extension.
Members of the Westport Action for Youth (WAY) group held a silent protest at a council meeting in July, claiming the land sale had been “made behind closed doors” and describing the decision as “misleading and disrespectful”.
The group, which regularly use the green space and play park on the grounds, had been advocating for the area surrounding the play park to be developed as a public green space.
They had also called for maintenance and safety improvements to park equipment, saying concerns had been raised for almost two years.
WAY members said they felt misled when they later learned councillors had been in discussions with the Wyatt Hotel for some time regarding the sale of the land, and feared that most of the site, excluding the park, would be sold.
Cllr Peter Flynn spoke to the Irish Independent shortly after the protest. He said the land sold was zoned for town centre development and confirmed it comprised only the 0.67-acre portion, not the entire site.
He rejected claims that the deal had been agreed behind closed doors, saying it had been public knowledge for more than 12 months.
As part of the land sale agreement, an additional €280,000 was secured and earmarked for improvement works at the play park, which councillors said would help fund upgrades the council would otherwise struggle to deliver.
Cllr Flynn described the sale as a “perfect scenario”, saying it allows an existing family-run business to expand, creates additional parking and provides an opportunity to deliver much-needed improvements to the play park through the €280,000 contribution.
At the time, councillors said anyone with objections or concerns could submit them to Mayo County Council once the planning application was formally lodged.
One formal submission opposing the development was later added to the planning application.
The objection, submitted by Kieran Ryan, cited several alleged conflicts of interest, including the direct sale of council-owned land to the developer and concerns about the additional payment made beyond the land purchase price.
Mr Ryan also raised concerns that Mayo County Council could benefit from the development through revenue generated from the 20 public car parking spaces. He cited the lengthy period of discussions between the council and the hotel as another potential conflict of interest.
Additional concerns raised by Mr Ryan related to the housing crisis, the overdevelopment of the hospitality sector in Westport, potential impacts on traffic flow, and alignment with the Westport Local Area Plan.
In response, planners said the issues raised had been adequately addressed. The Westport and Belmullet Municipal District submitted a letter of consent, while the council’s Roads Design section raised no objections.
The planning report concluded that the development complies with the policies and objectives of the Westport Local Area Plan 2024-2030, highlighting the importance of tourism to the town and stating there were no outstanding planning issues.
Any further objections to the development can be submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála within one month of the date on which permission was granted by Mayo County Council, which was on February 6, 2026.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.