With developer Johnny Ronan having now abandoned a long-standing bid to deliver a high-end residential scheme on the site of one of Ireland’s oldest private houses, Stylebawn in Delgany, Co Wicklow, both the house and its 5.63-hectare (13.9-acre) site are being offered for sale by CBRE on behalf of Declan McDonald of receiver PwC at a guide price of €4.75 million.
While the lands are zoned predominantly residential and fall within the local area plan (LAP) for Delgany, Greystones and Kilcoole, applications for their development have, to date, been unsuccessful.
In April of this year, An Bord Pleanála upheld the refusal by Wicklow County Council of an application by Ronan’s RGRE J&R Stylebawn Ltd for the development of 42 apartments on part of the Stylebawn site, the conversion of the house itself and its gardener’s cottage into two houses, along with a second application for the construction of 99 apartments elsewhere on the lands.
Notwithstanding the appeals body’s rejection of that plan, the selling agent says the Stylebawn site “presents obvious potential to achieve an increased density residential development on site, subject to planning permission.”
In this regard, a feasibility study prepared by MOLA Architecture for the sale suggests the lands offer the potential to accommodate a smaller residential scheme of up to 90 units rather than the 143 homes proposed by RGRE, subject to planning permission. A planning report for the site has been undertaken by Brock McClure Consultants and is available upon request from CBRE.
The subject site briefly comprises Stylebawn House and Clara House, associated buildings and surrounding greenfield lands which are mainly forested/wooded in nature.
Built originally in 1773, Stylebawn House is a protected structure. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage lists Stylebawn as “a detached multiple-bay one-and-a-half storey house, built in 1773, but much extended in the mid-19th-century”.
[ Value of development land sales reach €411m in first half of 2024Opens in new window ]
Prior to Ronan’s acquisition of the property in 2004, its previous owner, John Gaisford St Lawrence, had regularly opened the gardens of Stylebawn to the public.
Historically, Stylebawn had served as the original coaching inn for Delgany and had been known as the Delgany Inn. Today, that name is more readily associated with the collective home of the hugely popular Firehouse Bakery, Delgany Grocer and Pigeon House Cafe, directly across the road.
According to the website delganyheritagevillage.com, Stylebawn once hosted Sir Walter Raleigh, and is, according to speculation, home to no fewer than two ghosts – a lady in black lace and a gentleman in grey.
In 2016, the property suffered significant fire damage.
Located within close proximity to the coastal town of Greystones, Delgany village and its surrounding area has seen significant residential development activity over recent years, with numerous new housing schemes including Littlebrook, Eastmount, Churchlands, Thorndale, Barnfield and Melwood all coming on stream.
Both Delgany and Greystones offer a wide range of amenities and are well served by road and rail. Junction 10 of the N11/M11 is located just 1km from Delgany village while the Dart commuter rail service operates from nearby Greystones.
