LEADING construction consultancy Edmond Shipway has been appointed to provide project management, cost consultancy and mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy services for the proposed €85m expansion of Center Parcs’ Longford Forest resort.
Building on the success of the resort since opening in July 2019, Center Parcs has recently announced its intention to submit a planning application for a significant investment to further develop its Longford Forest resort, which is set in around 400 acres of woodland located five kilometres from Ballymahon.
The plans include the addition of 200 new lodges, including four of Center Parcs’ most luxurious accommodation – Treehouses. Hidden within the forest, each Treehouse sleeps up to eight people and comes complete with a games den, outdoor hot tub, private parking, and a dedicated Treehouse Host for the duration of the break.
Alongside increasing the number of lodges, the development also proposes to extend existing facilities, including leisure facilities, restaurants, and cafes, back of house facilities, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise and Aqua Sana Spa. The development will remain within the existing site boundary.
David Stevenson, managing director at Edmond Shipway, said: “We have a relationship with Center Parcs that spans decades, so we are really pleased to be continuing to support its latest ventures. We provided services for the delivery of the initial Longford Forest scheme, which is one of the biggest tourism investments Ireland has ever seen and brought the high-quality resort facilities that Center Parcs is renowned for to the country.
“We look forward to working closely with the team, supporting the planning application for these expansion plans and to hopefully leading on the delivery of more exceptional facilities for the Irish resort.”
Martin Dalby, CEO at Center Parcs, said: “We are thrilled to be developing the next chapter for Longford Forest, reaffirming our confidence in our product and the Irish market. We are delighted to be working once more with Edmond Shipway, who I’m sure will deliver for us once again.”
The development, which will remain within the existing site boundary, is driven by a great confidence in the business and the Irish domestic tourism market and will create 250 permanent jobs, along with a further 300 jobs during construction.
Edmond Shipway’s four core services – cost consultancy, project management, M&E and sustainability consultancy – allow the practice to add value to all of its projects, and its specialist teams focus on individual markets to deliver industry-leading expertise and maximise efficiencies and results for clients.
For more information about Edmond Shipway, please visit https://www.edmondshipway.com/
