Quite a stroke by Mr Prenty to locate this in Ballyhaunis
The Connacht Council of the GAA have welcomed the news that their proposed new €10m Centre of Excellence has successfully come through the planning process.
Last month, Mayo County Council granted permission for the project, and the 30-day period has now elapsed during which any objectors can appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
No appeals have been lodged which means the Council can now commence preparations for making the Centre of Excellence dream a reality.
'We are absolutely delighted with this news. It means we can progress our plans now to build the first provincial GAA Centre of Excellence in the country, and the benefits will be felt by young sportspeople and their mentors all over the province,' said Connacht GAA Secretary John Prenty.
'The permission granted to us by Mayo County Council involves us scaling back our plans in some areas, and we are happy to do that. We addressed worries expressed by local residents in the area and everything is now in place.'
The Council purchased a 60-acre site at Cloonacurry, Bekan - on the Knock-Ballyhaunis road - and Mr Prenty said preparations would begin immediately.
'Contract prices have reduced substantially in recent times, so we should get good value now,' he said.
The centre will feature six outdoor GAA pitches, a 900-seater stand on the main pitch, a state-of-the-art indoor pitch, gymnasium, and related facilities.
'We expect to start advertising for tenders for the work in the coming weeks, and we would hope to have work commenced by late autumn,' added Mr Prenty.
Money generated by rugby and soccer internationals in Croke Park has been earmarked for the project.
'The big winners in this project will be young people from all over the province. The centre is ideally located in the middle of the province, and we now look forward to a day soon when the Centre is used on a daily basis,' said Mr Prenty.
'It is a historic time for the GAA in Connacht. We would hope to have the project completed by 2012.'
