Green Light for Howth Development

Irish property investor Tetrarch Capital and the Michael J Wright hospitality group have received planning permission from Fingal County Council for their planned redevelopment of Howth Castle in north Dublin, subject to 35 conditions being met.

The partners had lodged a planning application for a €10 million redevelopment of Howth Castle to transform it into a retail, food and tourist destination.

Tetrarch and the Wright Group had sought permission for a new 150-seat restaurant to be built in a glass-covered pavilion within the castle’s stable yard. The site was to include a revamped cookery school, a gin-making school and a range of retail stores.

The developers also proposed to including picnic and play areas, a falconry and petting farm, and a garden centre. The National Transport Museum would remain on the site while a 150-seater marquee would be located to the south of the castle for weddings and other events.

A new entrance to the grounds was to be constructed, along with an access road to a proposed car and coach parking area and an overflow car park.

In a decision published this week, the council has given the green light for the ambitious scheme, which will involve a change in parts of the castle from residential to commercial use.

However, the council has attached a number of conditions relating to internal roads and car parking at the site. It has ruled that a proposed road to the east of the castle be omitted from the scheme.

The developers are also required to conduct a bat survey and to submit a retail impact assessment to consider the impact on existing retail operators “on the Howth Peninsula such as Sutton, Howth Village and the Howth Harbour Area”.

The developers will be required to pay a contribution of €164,784.46 to the council, while a separate charge by Irish Water is to be levied.