Tamorbrick Ltd, a division of Treasury Holdings, has been refused planning permission to turn Milverton Demesne in Skerries, Co Dublin - which has a history dating back to the mid-16th century - into a tourism and leisure facility.
Fingal County Council gave 16 reasons for turning down the proposal, including that it would constitute a serious overdevelopment of lands which would have an impact on the demesne landscape.
Tamorbrick Ltd sought to build a 100-bedroom hotel, two 18-hole golf courses, a nine-hole putting course, a golf driving range and golf club with pro-shop. It also proposed a craft centre, apart-hotel, equestrian centre and tennis academy on a vast 437-acre estate which spans Milverton Demesne and Home Farm. Around 30 residential units and 30 tourist accommodation units were also part of the vast scheme which would have involved the demolition of an existing two-storey 460 sq m (4,951 sq ft) house and a single storey 200 sq m (2,153 sq ft) cottage.
Fingal County Council said the proposed hotel and apart-hotel and a number of houses on an elevated site north of the hotel would be visually obtrusive.
It said the proposed large car park beside the hotel would result in the loss of 1 hectare of dense woodland which was "totally unacceptable" and the proposed golf clubhouse would also involve the removal of significant woodland.
It said there was insufficient provision for public access to the demesne lands and there was no provision for bridle paths for use by the proposed equestrian centre.The proposed three houses in Foxes Hole Woods would necessitate removal of a badger sett.
Other reasons given were that the development would be premature due to deficiency of piped water supplies, sewerage facilities and a road network to serve the development.
It also said the objective of the waste management strategy for the Dublin region is to provide a managed landfill in the region and the current proposal "through prejudicing the selection process for such a site, would contravene materially this objective and be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area".
