Coole Park bat roosts to cost €90,000

THE money spent on renovating a derelict house and the construction of an underground chamber to protect bats at Coole Park along the route of the next phase of the Atlantic Corridor is to come to €90,000.

Construction on the €530 million Gort-Tuam route is due to commence next year under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme that will add a further 57km of high-quality roadway on the Corridor route.

However, before any roadworks can start in the Coole Park area north of Gort in south Co Galway, measures to protect the local bat population must be put in place.

Galway County Council yesterday confirmed that it has signed a contract with Duane Construction Ltd for €89,754 (inc VAT) to construct artificial bat roosts in Coole Park, which is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Coole Park is a state-owned Nature Reserve of 1,000 acres and was celebrated by WB Yeats, along with being the home of Lady Augusta Gregory, dramatist, folklorist and a co-founder of the Abbey Theatre.

The works are to include the renovation of a derelict house and construction of an underground chamber within the grounds of Coole Park in the townland of Garrylands.

The County Council confirmed that work is scheduled to start in early January and the duration of the works will be 13 weeks.

The works are part of the Gort to Oranmore phase of the scheme.