Plans to give a Castlebar church a spire that was originally planned more than a century ago have run into difficulties with Mayo planning officials. Over €600,000 has been raised to erect the spire on the Church of the Holy Rosary, which was originally intended to have a spire when it was first erected in the 1890s.
Now, however, planning permission has been refused, even though councillors had actually allocated money to contribute to the project in their annual budget.
The original architects’ plan for the church included a spire, but funds ran out before one could be built and the church opened in 1901 without one.
Ironically, the spire would have cost approximately €4,000 to erect back then but a century on, will cost an estimated €1m.
Acting Town Manager Patsy Burke said the project was refused planning permission because the proposal was smaller and inferior to the original designs and council officials wanted a larger spire.
But Castlebar’s mayor, Councillor Eugene McCormack, said he was disappointed at the planners’ response to the current proposal.
“The spire would finish off the church as planned - the people 100 years ago didn’t have the money but we have the money and now we’re being thwarted by planners,” he said.
“It’s very disappointing for everyone involved in the project,” Mayor McCormack remarked.
The parish committee organising the spire project now has the option of appealing to An Bord Pleanála or submitting a revised planning application.
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