Center parcs to hold ballymahon open day
Locals and community groups will get the opportunity to learn more about €200 million plans to develop a new forest holiday park in Ballymahon as the company spearheading the project, Center Parcs, hosts an Open Day.
The event, which will be held between 10am and 8pm in Cooney’s Hotel, Ballymahon this Wednesday next, May 27, follows the announcement by the UK company back in April of their proposals to build a massive holiday village in Newcastle Wood, just five kilometres from Ballymahon.
Pending planning permission, Center Parcs hopes to open for business in 2019, creating 1,000 permanent jobs, along with another 750 during the construction phase.
The leading UK short-break company is proposing is to build 500 holiday lodges along with a plethora of other facilities like shops, restaurants, bars, spa and an indoor water park on a 375-acre site they have purchased from Coillte. In all, the Ballymahon holiday development, the company’s first Irish venture, will accommodate 2,500 guests.
Management from Center Parcs will be on hand at the Open Day to discuss the Center Parcs brand, how the company contributes to the communities within which it operates, and the type of employment opportunities that Center Parcs offers.
Many of these roles in the holiday village are expected to be filled by employees between the ages of 18 and 24, and the majority of employees are likely to live locally.
Center Parcs estimates that, when operational, the new holiday village would add approximately €32 million to Irish GDP per annum.
The company says detailed information on the specifics of the planning application will be available later in the year. This is an introductory event, and Center Parcs will be holding specific events for recruitment and supplier opportunities as the project progresses.
Ahead of the Open Day, Martin Dalby, CEO of Center Parcs, said: “The Open Day is a great opportunity for us to meet with the local community again in a more informal setting and answer any questions they may have about Center Parcs in County Longford.”
“We were overwhelmed by the welcome and positive support we received when we announced our plans in April and we’re excited to be back in the area,” he enthused.
Center Parcs offers high quality short breaks in a secluded and natural woodland setting. The proposed new development, expected to take two years to build, will bring together the high quality features for which Center Parcs is renowned, including up to 500 lodges, designed with families and the environment in mind, more than 100 indoor and outdoor activities, a spa, a range of restaurants and cafés and the iconic Subtropical Swimming Paradise, with water rides and fun for all ages.
Over the last 28 years, Center Parcs has exhibited a proven track record of taking commercial woodlands and, through careful forest management, transforming them into areas rich in bio-diversity. Each village has a dedicated team of Conservation Rangers who protect and nurture the woodland.