Located just 14 miles and twenty minutes from Mullingar, Newcastle Wood is set to become the big winner if Center Parcs clear all planning obstacles to open a €200 million leisure facility/ tourist resort on the outskirts of Ballymahon.
Practically all the traffic that will head for Center Parcs before, during and after it opens in 2019, will pass through the county town of Westmeath, generating an economic and tourism opportunity like no other.
From Belfast to Waterford, all roads to Center Parcs lead through Mullingar, and this will create significant indirect employment on top of the 1,750 jobs promised by Center Parcs.
As the announcement was made by An Taoiseach at a packed and joyous Cooney’s Hotel in Ballymahon on Thursday last, it transpired that Mullingar’s proximity and transport links to the rest of the country were one of the deciding factors in choosing the site.
Mullingar itself was in the running going back to 2008, when two unspecified lakeside sites were looked at alongside another unspecified woodland site in Westmeath. However plans were parked, only to be re-ignited by Center Parcs in 2013. With a clearer picture of what they wanted, Center Parcs worked with Coillte on choosing the perfect, flat site.
750 construction jobs have been promised at the 375 acre site, which in turn will create indirect employment locally, and once open, the €200 million resort will have capacity for up to 2,500 guests and will employ up to 1,000 people in permanent jobs. Many of these roles are expected to be filled by employees between the ages of 18 and 24, and the majority of employees are likely to be from the local surrounding region.
“This is one of the biggest investments in tourism in our country for a very long time,” said An Taoiseach Enda Kenny on Thursday.
(For the full story, see page 5)
