Durrow Abbey, was - until recently - a somewhat rundown country estate off the beaten track near Tullamore, Co Offaly. Its profile was low. Few people knew of its existence and fewer still were concerned about its future. Now, it has become one of the most symbolic reference points cited in debates on the theme of developers versus the public interest/common good. Apart from the 19th century manor house - which was burned down during the War of Independence and rebuilt with a contemporary interior - and the 300 acres of farmland, Durrow Abbey has in its demesne a 9th-century high cross, the ruins of a medieval church (deemed to be built on the site of the only Irish monastic church founded by St Colmcille), grave slabs dating from the 9th to the 11th century and other items of archaeological significance. Access to these historical artefacts has been denied to the public since 1991. A High Court case is currently pending between the owners and Duchas, the Irish Heritage Service, over the issue of access.
John Maher of Radleigh Developments became interested in Durrow Abbey in 1997. His company's schemes include the Anchorage apartment development at Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, and an apartment development in Tolka Vale, Finglas. The £130 million development plan for Durrow Abbey includes a 105-bedroom hotel incorporating the existing main house, an 18-hole golf course and clubhouse, a health and leisure complex, conference centre, equestrian centre and 427 residential units in courtyard-style clusters throughout the estate. John Maher, a native of Roscrea, Co Tipperary, has consulted extensively with local people, including the High Cross Action Committee, on his plans. He has agreed to buy the property from the current owners, the O'Brien family, pending the go-ahead of the development. Radleigh Developments was granted planning permission from Offaly County Council in July of this year following the submission of its plans under the 10-year clause in a former proposal granted to the late Paddy O'Brien of Durrow Abbey.
Duchas, the Irish Heritage Service, has agreed to take ownership of a six-acre site surrounding the high cross, church ruins and graveyard. Radleigh Developments has agreed to include a public car-park in its plans and to allow public access to the historical artefacts. The company also plans to purchase 300 acres of Coillte land next to Durrow Abbey, if its development goes ahead. It plans to use this land as an amenity area with general public and hotel residents. John Maher had begun to consult international hotel chains to find a suitable occupant for the hotel when An Taisce and the Heritage Council appealed the planning decision to An Bord Pleanala.
The Heritage Council has appealed the development on two grounds. It believes the granting of planning permission is premature given the lack of evidence presented in the Environmental Impact Statement concerning the impact of the proposed development on the archaeology and architectural heritage of the site.
In a statement to An Bord Pleanala, Paddy Matthews, the Heritage Council planning officer, said "the nature and extent of the archaeological and architectural significance of the site remains unknown at this point in time".
"In a case such as this, where the Environmental Impact Assessment has been required, a decision should not have been made without first possessing more comprehensive data relating to the impact of the proposed development on the archaeological and architectural heritage of the site . . . The full heritage value and significance of the site at Durrow Abbey has not yet been fully established."
The Heritage Council argues that the monasteries at Durrow Abbey were on a par with Clonmacnoise, Kells, Armagh and Iona. What sets Durrow apart and makes it special, according to the Heritage Council, is that the site and its environs are substantially intact and preserved. "It is the view of the Heritage Council that the development, as currently proposed, would be totally inappropriate, both in scale and character, for the site and would alter permanently the nature of the site."
An Taisce's objections to the development are mainly linked to the housing and apartment element of the proposal. Radleigh Developments has already agreed to reduce from 468 to 427 the number of residential units in the development. However, An Taisce seeks a 50 per cent reduction in the number of housing units. An Taisce also sought for a 19th-century walled garden on the site to be preserved, to which Radleigh Developments has agreed. An oral hearing with An Bord Pleanala is pending.
