LATEST: TD Mattie McGrath challenges plan to demolish unfinished homes amid housing crisis

Independent TD Mattie McGrath raised concerns in the Dáil today over plans by Tipperary County Council to demolish 52 partially completed housing units at Ballypadeen, Cashel, Co Tipperary, a move he described as illogical amid Ireland’s housing crisis.

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The properties form part of the former Cashel Kings Motel development. The original scheme envisaged a large-scale international trade and arbitration centre, alongside an aparthotel with 176 bedrooms, 32 apartment suites, restaurants, leisure facilities and conference amenities.

Only the housing units were ever partially constructed. Work ceased several years later following protracted legal disputes between the developers and the local authority.

The unfinished houses have since deteriorated. However, Mr McGrath and others argue they remain structurally sound and capable of reuse.

Over the recent bank holiday weekend, the TD visited the site to highlight the condition of the buildings and to renew calls for the council to explore their completion as social housing. Tipperary has approximately 3,600 households or individuals on an approved housing list.

Tipperary County Council has now submitted a Part 8 planning application seeking permission to demolish the units, including the crushing and removal of materials to a licensed operator.

While the final cost will depend on a tendering process and the outcome of the planning application, an initial tender places the cost at up to €400,000. Mr McGrath disputes this figure, citing an independent quantity surveyor’s estimate of €8 million for demolition and remediation, and has criticised what he describes as a lack of transparency around costs.

In a statement published on social media, Mr McGrath said it “defies all logic” to bulldoze partially completed homes during a national housing emergency. He argued that independent assessments had described the buildings as solid rather than derelict, and said interest had been expressed by developers in redeveloping the site. 

The issue was addressed in the Dáil by Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Frankie Feighan, who spoke in the absence of the Minister for Housing, James Browne. He stated that while some unfinished developments can be salvaged, others cannot.

Mr Feighan noted that neither the land nor the buildings are owned by Tipperary County Council and that the units were constructed more than 20 years ago as tourism accommodation ancillary to a hotel. They were not designed, permitted or intended for permanent residential use and have remained incomplete for almost two decades.

Mr Feighan said the site lies outside Cashel’s settlement boundary, is poorly serviced and is not zoned for residential development. Were it suitable for long-term social housing, he said, the council might have considered compulsory purchase.

However, he stated there is no viable option to adapt the existing structures to modern residential standards, and that refurbishment would likely require full demolition and reconstruction.

The minister added that the Part 8 application forms part of a remediation strategy and that any future development of the land rests with the owners, subject to the county development plan and the statutory planning process. He also pointed to Tipperary County Council’s record under the Housing for All programme, saying it had been ahead of target in delivering social housing.

Responding, Mr McGrath rejected the explanation, arguing that no clear rationale had been provided. He said he had submitted a detailed file on the matter to the Minister for Housing several weeks earlier and criticised what he described as an undue rush to demolish the buildings.

He claimed a tender for demolition had been issued before the Part 8 process concluded, calling the approach “indecent haste” and urging that the decision to demolish be halted and re-evaluated.

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