Campaign to zone Dundrum House property for tourism and amenity use clears first hurdle  

A campaign to vary Tipperary County Development Plan to extend the settlement boundary of Dundrum village to include Dundrum House with the goal of zoning the property for tourism and amenity use, cleared its first hurdle on Monday.

A motion requesting Tipperary County Council’s executive to prepare a report to initiate the process to consider this variation of the County Development Plan 2022-2028 secured the necessary support of three quarters of the Council’s elected members at the July meeting of the local authority in Nenagh.

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The motion was proposed and seconded by Independent Cashel Cllr Liam Browne and Fine Gael Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan from Cappawhite, and is the first step in the detailed process of seeking this change to the County Development Plan.

It was tabled in the wake of the decision by Tipperary County Council not to contest Dundrum Heritage Group’s Judicial Review legal action over the Section Five Declaration planning exemption it had approved allowing Dundrum House to be used as an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan told the Dáil on June 18 the Council’s decision meant the Section Five Declaration will now be quashed.

The motion put before councillors on Monday proposed councillors request the Council to prepare a report to initiate a process to consider varying the County Development Plan in accordance with the 2000 Planning & Development Act.

It proposed Dundrum village’s settlement boundary be extended to incorporate the lands associated with Dundrum House Hotel, including the County Tipperary Golf & Country Club and the historic and protected Dundrum Manor House

The motion requested these lands be zoned for tourism/leisure, amenity and conservation use.

“These designations directly support the intended uses of the site and are in clear alignment with the strategic aims of the County Development Plan 2022–2028, particularly in fostering sustainable rural development, enhancing the tourism economy, and conserving built heritage,” the motion added.

Cllr Browne told the meeting there was a need for the County Development Plan to protect industry and tourism and he didn’t believe Dundrum House was being protected.

He said Dundrum House has not been considered as part of the settlement area of Dundrum but anyone living there was very much of the view that it was part of the village.

He pointed to the controversy over awarding an IPAS contract for Dundrum House and the lack of attention being given to protecting and preserving Dundrum Manor House.

Cllr Hourigan said they wanted to extend the Dundrum village settlement boundary to include Dundrum House and the golf club because it was such an area of “significant importance” to the community.

“The end objective is that we want to see that land zoned for tourism,” she said.

County Council Acting Senior Executive Planner Fergal O’Donnell explained the resolution requesting the Council to prepare a report on this proposal to vary the County Development Plan required the support of three quarters of the Council’s elected members in order to be acted upon.

He pointed out it would be a for the Council’s executive to decide whether to proceed with pursuing this variation.

That decision to commence a variation process was not a reserved function of the elected members.

Cashel Fianna Fáil Cllr Roger Kennedy responded that it was imperative that this goes ahead and he appealed to councillors from all areas of the county at the meeting to support the motion tabled by Cllrs Browne and Hourigan.

Thirty-one councillors voted in favour of the motion when it was put to a vote at the meeting. This was one more than the three quarters majority required to initiate the process of seeking a variation of the County Development Plan.

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