Plan to convert old hay barn into Yoga studio
A 19 th century farmhouse and disused hay shed could soon be getting a much needed new lease of life.
Yoga teacher Aideen McDonald is hoping to restore Toberpatrick Farmhouse and disused hay barn along the shores of the Wild Atlantic Way in Dromard.
She’s applied to Sligo County Council for planning permission to restore the main house, which is a protected structure and demolish a 1970s two-storey extension to the rear.
She’s also hoping to separately refurbish the hay barn and convert it into a yoga/ wellness studio as a small scale home-based business with parking and access via the existing farmyard and entrance.
The yoga studio is proposed to be located in the disused loft of the barn, with changing rooms, winter garden, kitchenette and quiet room at ground floor level.
The property dates from the late 19 th century and is situated in the townland of Toberpatrick, not to be confused with the older 18th century Toberpatrick House nearby.
The development aims to restore the original house to its historical state and to further “respect its heritage value” according to architects for Ms McDonald, LiD Architecture.
They claim the renovation of the under-used and derelict outbuildings in turn “brings back useful life to the overall cluster of buildings and provides the physical infrastructure for a home-based business with the potential to significantly benefit the health and well-being of the local community.”
The architects said they believed the proposed developments “represent a coherent strategy for the site - achieving the requirements of the dual domestic and home-based economic activity brief and injecting a diverse cluster of existing buildings with new, linked uses, that also preserves the strong visual identity and expression of its individual built elements.”
Sligo County Planners will decide on the application for Toberpatrick Farmhouse by 15 th May 2018.