Observation pack · Mayo County Council

Convent Hill , Ballina , Co. Mayo

Permission is sought by CH Care Services Limited for permission for the following at Convent Hill, Ballina, Co. Mayo within the curtilage of a protected structure, being the Convent of the Immaculate Conception, Reg No 31204001, listed as a protected structure on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) for the following: (a) Change of use of lower ground floor of former secondary school into three (3) x two (2) bed apartments, five (5) x one (1) bed apartments, Ground floor creche and accessible toilet, common access routes, service rooms, mechanical rooms and storage. (b) Change of use of upper ground floor of former secondary school to three (3) x studio apartments, eleven (11) x one (1) bed apartments, five (5) x two (2) bed apartments, common access routes, service rooms, mechanical rooms and storage. (c) Material alterations to the existing internal layout of lower and upper ground floors, elevations and site curtilage of former secondary school. (d) Construction of six (6) detached bungalow dwellings, thirty two (32) semi detached two storey dwellings along with associated access roads, parking, footpaths, green areas, services and boundary finishes. (e) All associated ancillary works related to the proposed development.

Observations close 2 Nov 2026 13 days left

5 weeks from receipt (received 28 Sept 2026) · s.34 Planning and Development Act 2000 · art. 29 Regulations 2001 · fee €20 · council decision due 22 Nov 2026

The application

Reference: 2660760 · full record
Authority: Mayo County Council
Type: PERMISSION
Status: NEW APPLICATION
Applicant: not published by the national dataset — see the council register
Units: 0
Floor area: —
Site area: 2.50 ha
Received: 28 Sept 2026
We first saw it: 7 Oct 2026, 01:19
Decision due: 22 Nov 2026
Decision: N/a

The national dataset truncates descriptions (80 characters for DLR, 70 for Fingal) and omits the applicant. The full description and the drawings are on the council register linked in step 1.

How to submit an observation

Read the file on the council register.Drawings, planning statement and site notices are at http://www.eplanning.ie/MayoCC/AppFileRefDetails/2660760/0.
Write your observation.Quote 2660760 at the top, give your name and the address the authority should reply to, and confine it to planning matters — zoning objective, height, overlooking, traffic, drainage, heritage. What you say here is what you can later appeal on.
Pay the €20 fee.Every submission needs it; without it the observation is invalid and is returned. Mayo County Council takes it online with the submission or at the counter.
Submit before 2 Nov 2026.Online through the register above, or in writing to the Planning Department, Mayo County Council. The test is the date the authority receives it, not the date you post it.
Keep the acknowledgement.The council's receipt is your proof of a valid observation — see below.

Statutory basis. Section 34(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) requires a planning authority to consider any submission or observation made to it in accordance with the Regulations. Article 29 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended) sets the window: a submission or observation must be received by the authority within five weeks beginning on the date of receipt of the application, and must be accompanied by the prescribed fee of €20. A submission received after the window, or without the fee, is invalid and the authority must return it.

After you submit: keep the acknowledgement. Under the 2024 Act it secures your right to appeal — only the applicant and a person who made a valid observation may bring the council's decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála, within four weeks of the decision. Making a valid observation is also what buys a right of appeal: under s.37(1) of the 2000 Act, only the applicant and a person who made a valid submission or observation to the planning authority may appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála (within four weeks of the decision). Missing the five-week window closes both doors.

What the site is zoned

Code	Objective	Plan	In force
M2 Major town centre	Town Centre Outer: To provide commercial office and mixed land uses	ballina local area plan	13 Oct 2024 → 12 Oct 2030
R1 New residential	New Residential: It is an objective to provide for new residential development, associated facilities and services	ballina local area plan	13 Oct 2024 → 12 Oct 2030
R2 Existing residential	Existing Residential: To provide for low to medium residential densities	ballina local area plan	13 Oct 2024 → 12 Oct 2030
S1 Third-level education	Educational Establishment	ballina local area plan	13 Oct 2024 → 12 Oct 2030

An application that accords with the zoning objective is hard to resist on principle; one that does not may be a material contravention, which the council can only grant by the s.34(6) procedure with its own notice and window.

Source: Mayo County Council development plan zoning · fetched 27 Sept 2026, 19:37

Source	Licence	Fetched	Link
Mayo County Council development plan zoning	—	27 Sept 2026, 19:37	open

Designations on or near the site

NIAH-recorded building × 3
Convent of the Immaculate Conception · Convent of the Immaculate Conception · Convent of the Immaculate Conception
Recorded monument × 2
Burnt mound · R187546

Nearby precedents within 500 m, last 5 years

Decisions

Reference	Decision	Decided	Units	Distance	Description
2660650	Conditional	6 Oct 2026	0	0 m	Ballina Convent Regeneration CLG intends to apply for permission and retention permission for development at this site for change of use of a shed yet to be built and of the main convent kitchen, as well as St. Anne's and rooms in St. Mary's. The development will consist of changes of use such as: 1. Letting a new shed, to be constructed, to a non-commercial dive club for storage of a small boat and diving gear 2. Letting of the kitchen, to be refurbished, in the convent as a commercial central production kitchen. 3. Letting of rooms in St. Mary's to community groups. 4. Letting of St. Anne's to Ballina Involve CLG, Ballina Men's Shed and other community based groups.
2660552	Conditional	31 Aug 2026	0	278 m	The development will consist of the following, change of use of unit 4 from restaurant to office space along with any other ancillary site works required.
2660274	Conditional	9 Jul 2026	4	220 m	Development will consist of 04 no. dwelling houses. Including connections to water supply, surface water infrastructure, wastewater infrastructure and utilities.
2660126	Conditional	3 Jul 2026	0	0 m	Ballina Convent is a protected structure. 1. Change of use of the convent ground floor to community facilities @ 1036 sqm and two-bedroom apartment @ 103 sqm. The proposed community facilities include continued use of the existing chapel for religious purposes, continued use of kitchen areas and dining/meeting room. Other proposed community facilities will include counselling and therapy functions, meeting rooms, training rooms, music and art facilities, sanitary facilities and community courtyard. The proposed apartment will be used by residents associated with the functioning of the community facilities. The works will include new mechanical, electrical and drainage services throughout and photovoltaic panels at convent flat roof and some pitched roofs. The works will include various conservation related works to the historical internal and external fabric of the convent. 2. New single storey steel shed for carpentry workshops and storage @ 203 sqm; 3. Change of use to community facilities of St. Marys unused school building @ 462 sqm, and external insulation and photovoltaic panels. 4. Change of use to community facilities of St. Annes unused school building @ 795 sqm, and external insulation and photovoltaic panels. 5. Re instatement of the existing gatehouse as a residential building, including refurbishment works and two-bedroomed extension, photovoltaic panels and new parking area and storage shed with new road access from the convent site access road. The gatehouse will be used by residents associated with the functioning of the community facilities. 6. New steel palisade fencing and cast-iron heritage type fencing at parts of site. 7. New car parking layouts to the main site. 8. New fuel tank. 9. All associated site works. 10. Directional signposting on site and signage at entrance gates area.
2560690	Conditional	24 Jun 2026	0	137 m	Full planning permission to renovate and extend an existing dwelling with two domestic storage buildings and associated site works
2660367	Conditional	22 Jun 2026	0	261 m	This development will consist of retention permission for Additional window to side elevation, revised fenestration to side elevation and front elevation of dwelling, including all other ancillary site works and services.
2660319	Conditional	15 Jun 2026	0	363 m	full planning permission for the following: 1) Demolition of existing sheds, 2) Construction of a new storage shed (133m2), 3) Reconfiguration of existing football pitch into 2 No. football pitches with associated ball stop netting, high level flood lighting and dugouts, 4) Construction of a new astro turf pitch (78m x 47.5m) with associated ball stop netting and high level flood lighting, 5) Construction of a 47.5m wide x 5m high “hurling wall” between the western site boundary and the side of the proposed astro turf pitch complete with buttress supports and ball stopping netting, 6) Construction of a new internal access road, car park and pedestrian access,7) Alterations to the Southeast Elevation of the existing clubhouse, all of this together with the excavation and re-contouring of the site, connection to services and all associated site works
2660289	Conditional	5 Jun 2026	0	472 m	Part change of use from an existing retail unit to retail with ancillary off licence sales (area for display of alcohol circa. 4.21m2) and associated signage for the Unit and all associated site works, all at Bury Central, Bury Street, Ballina, Co. Mayo, F26 YVR8.

Appeals

ACP case	Type	Outcome	Decided	Distance
316388	—	Granted with conditions	11 Jul 2025	306 m
322994	—	open	10 Jul 2025	484 m
319133	—	Granted with conditions	24 Sept 2024	380 m
317199	—	Granted with conditions	31 May 2024	461 m
316677	—	Granted	31 Aug 2023	387 m
313394	—	Granted with conditions	25 Aug 2023	335 m
316660	—	Other	11 Aug 2023	387 m
316967	—	Other	9 Aug 2023	286 m

If neighbours here have appealed before and lost, the inspector's report on that case is the single most useful thing to read.

What has happened on this file

28 Sept 2026 New application · observations close 2 Nov 2026
28 Sept 2026 Decision

Generated from the Planning Register store; nothing was fetched live for this page. Source: national planning dataset, fetched 7 Oct 2026, 01:19. Not legal advice — confirm the deadline with Mayo County Council before relying on it.