6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Extra bedroom accommodation space sought at former hotel in Mayo
Ballinrobe Civic Arts & Amenity Company have lodged an application to Mayo County Council to reconfigure the ground floor, first floor and second floor as accommodation space. This includes the addition of two bedroom in the downstairs area formerly occupied by the restaurant.
The Valkenburg Hotel had been closed for some time when it was acquired by the Ballinrobe Town Hall Committee in 2020 for €305,000 at public auction in 2020.
In 2022, over €4.8 million was committed by the Department of Rural and Community Development under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to develop a multi-purpose space capable of providing accommodation and staging major shows and public gatherings.
KSN Project Management have been appointed as project design team for the development.
It had originally been planned to construct a new two-story town hall facility on a site on The Neale Road before The Valkenburg Hotel was placed on the market.
The hotel has stood in Ballinrobe since the 1820s and is listed as a protected structure by Mayo County Council. It is said to have operated the first petrol pumps in the town in the 1920s.
The hotel was acquired by the Langan family in 1973, who operated the facility for several decades.
As well as a restaurant and six ensuite bedrooms, the Valkenburg also boasts a nightclub and copious public car parking spaces.
It has been used for indoor gatherings on a limited basis in recent years.
Activities including Irish dancing, yoga, training courses, club meetings, rehearsals, St Patrick's Day celebrations and the Ballinrobe Christmas Market took place there in 2024.
