Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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40. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if will give further consideration to the strong wishes of communities across County Mayo to retain the name Ballycroy in the name of the National Park; if his attention has been drawn to the anger and disappointment at the dropping of the name; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55072/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I wish to thank the Deputy and the communities across County Mayo for their interest in the National Park.  I note the feelings of the local communities and wish to point out that while the name has changed to better represent the areas the National Park encompasses, my Department's commitment to both Ballycroy and the National Park remains unchanged.

Since the expansion of the Park in December 2017,  two thirds of the National Park is located outside the Ballycroy townland.  The name my Department has adopted for the Park is best suited to assist the integration of the original park and the newly acquired land fully into the Nephin Beg mountain range in the North Mayo landscape, to integrate with all the communities in the townlands above and to provide a clearer indication of the location to tourists and reduce confusion, especially in terms of the Nephin Wilderness area.

The official state-of-the-art Visitors’ Centre for the National Park remains in Ballycroy village, and my Department is currently developing proposals in conjunction with Mayo Co Council and Fáilte Ireland to upgrade and invest in this area, including pursuing the potential for a Planetarium and Observatoryto complement the National Park’s designation as a gold-tier Dark Sky park. The location of the Visitor facility is in Ballycroy village and the associated walks and educational facilities which attract visitors to Ballycroy will remain on all road signage in the region as we continue to grow the visitor numbers annually into both the parish of Ballycroy and the wider north Mayo region with the support of Mayo Co Council.

The revised name provides a clearer indication and reflection of the entire landscape, which fully represents this unique area on an international platform with IUCN recognition for Ireland’s sixth National Park.