This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

The refusal of plans to convert the site of a former convent in Spiddal into a creative media campus is to be appealed to An Bord Pleanala.

County planners last week turned down plans led by Fiontar na Gréine Teoranta at the former Naomh Éinde convent in the village.

The plans involve the creation of a creative education and training campus that would integrate the existing building into its design.

At its core would be a state-of-the-art library, multi-functional auditorium, and performance space with several hundred seats.

There would also be a digital media education and training hub, film and music education spaces, artist studio spaces, meeting rooms, an art gallery, and a café.

Another notable feature would be a public film and music digital archive that would support domestic and international research, as well as serving as a tourist attraction.

That, the developer says, would enable the study, preservation, and long-term vitality of the Irish Language and the cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht.

But county planners have refused permission – largely because the projects design and overall scale would be out of the character with the area.

The developer has four weeks to lodge an appeal with An Bord Pleanala – and has indicated it will do so.