8,047-plot cemetery on grounds of former golf course given green light in Dublin

A subsidiary of Irish investment group Tetrarch Capital has received planning permission from South Dublin County Council for an 8,047-plot cemetery on the grounds of the former golf course beside the Citywest Hotel, in Saggart, Co Dublin, subject to a number of conditions.

Tetrarch had sought permission for the burial plots, columbarium walls (to hold the ashes of those who are cremated), a single-storey reception building, an office and associated facilities alongside a new road to provide access to the N7/M7 Naas Road, 110 car-parking spaces and extensive landscaping, including the reshaping of an existing lake with the provision of a footbridge.

In its decision to grant permission, issued on August 15th, the council has sought more information on the reception building, which is to have seating and an area for laying out coffins. The council has asked Tetrarch to clarify if “funeral services or wakes will be carried out at the site”, noting that the zoning of the location does not permit the “laying out of remains, the holding of burial services and the assembling of funerals”.

The council has also directed Tetrarch to conduct a detailed survey for Japanese knotweed at the site, and to outline how the removal of this invasive species would be addressed. It has also sought information on who will operate the site once it is opened, and the rationale for a perimeter road proposed for the site.

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Among the conditions, Tetrarch must make a submission to the Department of Defence to “ensure the development will not impact flight safety in relation to Casement Aerodrome”, which is located nearby and is operated by the Air Corps.

A previous analysis by The Irish Times estimated that the burial ground would be worth at least €20 million, based upon the price of plots in other cemeteries in the area.

A spokesman for Tetrarch said it was “pleased” with the council’s decision to grant permission for the cemetery. “In addition to providing burial plots and columbarium walls ... the new cemetery will incorporate high-quality landscaped areas, with an attractive mix of woodland and parkland areas, extensive pathways and areas for quiet reflection,” he said.

“Like the best modern cemeteries being developed in Europe and elsewhere, the new cemetery at Citywest will also serve as an amenity and very large green space that will be open to the local community and wider public to visit.”

Tetrarch had considered a number of options for the golf course lands before deciding to apply for a cemetery.

In July, a subsidiary of Tetrarch was refused permission for a cemetery in Howth, north Dublin, although planners said the “principle” of the scheme was “acceptable”. Tetrarch is expected to submit a revised scheme for a cemetery at that site.

The Citywest complex was originally developed by the late businessman Jim Mansfield and was acquired by Tetrarch in 2018. The hotel is currently let to the State to house Ukrainian refugees.