Ireland

Castletown locals call for compulsory purchase of 235-acre plot at centre of dispute

‘Community uprising’ in Co Kildare as locals praise ‘model’ campaign to keep land open to public

Locals in north Co Kildare have expressed deep concern about future development at Castletown House and Parklands, following disagreements between landowners and the Office of Public Works (OPW) over access to the historic estate. Photograph: Fiachra Gallagher

Stephen Farrell
Tue Sep 19 2023 - 15:44

The Government was called on to purchase a 235-acre parcel of land on the nearby Castletown estate at a public meeting on Tuesday night in Celbridge GAA club.

Over the last week-and-a-half, public access to the estate has been the subject of a dispute between local residents and users of the grounds, the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the new owners of the parcel of land, Kilross Properties.

The parcel in question was bought by Kilross Properties in April 2023 and stretches from the M4 entrance of the estate to Castletown House.

[ ‘Emotions are high’: Kildare locals concerned over development of lands at Castletown House ]

The meeting in Celbridge was called by Catherine Murphy TD, former co-leader of the Social Democrats, and organised by local activist groups, Save Castletown and Friends of Castletown, in an effort to inform the locality about the situation, including access via the M4 entrance.

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Fianna Fáil TD James Lawless, Sinn Féin TD Réada Cronin, Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan and Senator Vincent Martin of the Green Party were also in attendance, along with a number of local councillors among the estimated crowd of 200 people.

Ms Murphy said that political pressure at Cabinet level needs to be put on Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure Patrick O’Donovan and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donoghue to provide money to buy the land from the developer.

Mr Lawless spoke of a “community uprising” and said the OPW had a narrow view of their remit which was mostly only in relation to Castletown House. He also said one needs both ownership and planning to do something with land and that the developer in this case only has ownership and is therefore limited in what can be done with the land.

Talks are currently ongoing between Kilross Properties and the OPW in an effort to find a resolution to the dispute and are due to conclude by the 29th of September.

The 235-acre parcel of land is classed as amenity and greenbelt, Ms Murphy told the meeting, which prohibits development for the building of houses and commercial buildings.

Chairman of Save Castletown Kevin Mullin presented a number of laminated certificates and medals to local residents who have played major roles in the campaign to keep the estate open to the public.

[ Fight for Castletown: ‘The community spirit out here, it’s just incredible’ ]

Each received a standing ovation from the crowd, including Ross Kelly, who said that the campaign was “a model for the rest of the country”, Deirdre Brown, and Vinny Monaghan, who stopped construction workers from entering the estate from the M4 side.

Mr Mullin said “this may only be the end of the beginning of the campaign”.

In an effort to cover expenses of the campaign, 70 books on Castletown were sold out on the night at a cost of €5 each.

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