Center Parc has been granted planning permission today by Longford City Council. The development of the €233million resort was originally filed in last September, their first outside of the UK. It has now been given the go ahead, with development to begin shortly on the state of the art resort which is expected to open in 2019.

The Longford resort will have 470 lodges, 30 apartments, 100+ indoor and outdoor activities, a spa, multiple restaurants, café, shops and water slides. Martin Galby who is CEO of Center Parcs acknowledged the important milestone for the company and also thanked Longford County Council. ‘The positive outcome recognises the transformative impact Center Parcs Longford Forest will have on the midlands region in terms of jobs, tourism and wider economic benefits’.

Centre Parcs currently have 5 resorts throughout the UK with Longford having the capacity to cater to 2,500 guests employing up to 1,000 people in permanent jobs. 750 jobs would be created during the construction phase and is expected to contribute €1bn to Irish GDP over the next 20 years.