COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

QUESTION NO.10

QUESTION: Councillor Joanna Tuffy

To ask for an update about Cooldrinagh House (formerly known as Beckett's) in relation to its conservation and protection as a protected structure

REPLY:

 A previous update was provided in response to an ACM Motion in February 2024. The previous report provided the following:

To date the following actions has been carried out by Derelict Sites, Planning Enforcement and Architectural Conservation Sections:

• November 2023 - Member’s rep received in relation to this site, a new Derelict Site File was opened.
• January 2024 - Senior Clerk of Work visited the site and advised: “That the hotel is vacant, and the entrance is secure with a barrier”.  
• The file was brought to the meeting of the Senior Architect who endorsed the file as follows: “There is no action available under the Derelict Site Act” and informed Derelict sites to close the file. The file was therefore closed. 

Prior to the above, the Architectural Conservation Officer and Planning Enforcement were also aware that this site had become vacant after the closure of the hotel.  During 2022, the Architectural Conservation Officer recommended that a Warning Letter be sent to the property owners as a way of making contact and reminding owners of their duty of care of the Protected Structure.  Planning Enforcement issued a Warning Letter to the owner after carrying out a land search, but no reply was ever received.  During March 2023 the Planning Inspectors and the Councils Architectural Conservation Officer carried out site inspections and reached the same conclusion as Derelict sites and the Senior Clerk of Works.  

It was concluded that although the former hotel is vacant, the site is secure and there were no signs of any direct threats or any related Endangerment Issues, therefore the file was closed by Planning Enforcement and agreed with the Architectural Conservation Officer as there are no signs that the Protected Structure is under any threat or endangered. 

The above outlines the action taken to date by SDCC in line with Derelict Sites and Planning Enforcement re Possible Endangerment of a Protected Structure under Part IV of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended).  The site has not been found to warrant any further action under Derelict Sites.  It is considered that the situation has not changed in relation to the safety and security of the site and therefore it still stands that there is no evidence to suggest the property is endangered.

A pre-planning under Ref. PP106//23 was held in November 2023 for a proposal to increase the capacity of the hotel to provide a total of approximately 120 bedrooms on the site.  The proposal was considered open for consideration by the Planning Authority subject to addressing architectural conservation, HA-LV policy, ecology, design, traffic, aviation, etc.  There has been no further pre-planning or an application to date.