Kerry councillors hold firm on housing development despite alleged threat to historic hotel

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

Kerry councillors have refused to back down on allowing residential development near a protected structure despite objections from the local authority and housing regulator.

Killarney Municipal District councillors rejected advice from the housing department which said a new residential development in the town would impact the historic Cahernane House Hotel and surrounding landscape.

The proposed site is located north of Cahernane House and bordered by the River Deenagh to the north. An SEA environmental report on the proposal said “significant effects” could not be ruled out, including “potential impact” on the 19th century house and historic landscape.

Killarney councillors unanimously rejected these assertions, citing reports done by local experts on the house and its surrounds.

“We are all guardians of the culture and heritage of this area and we’re more than well aware of that,” said Councillor Maura Healy-Rae.

“We should extend an invitation to whoever in the department of housing gave this answer. They should come down, and we’ll give them a crash course.”

Cllr Brendan Cronin argued the housing department perceived Cahernane House as a large estate, pointing out the inclusion of the word “demesne” in their response.

“The references about the demesne go back to maps which are something like 150 years old. We’re talking 2026 not 1826,” he said.

“There is no 2,000-acre estate, there is 2.66 hectares of a protected structure, curtilage and attendant grounds.

“There’s an inaccurate perception of something very large, very widespread and very connected to the protected structure. That is the legal ownership of the protected structure.”

“If we take the Department of Heritage statement, there are massive knock-on consequences in another part of the town…I categorically reject and contradict what has been said here.”

Cllr Niall O’Callaghan said the housing regulator had “pushed a lot of boundaries” with the wording of its response, highlighting the use of not “contiguous” with other residential areas as a reason against the development.

He also made reference to the County Development Plan which recommends urban residential developments are constructed within 15 minutes walking distance of the town centre.

“You could be crawling and still make it out in 15 minutes,” he said.

While Kerry County Council supported the housing regulator’s advice against developing, citing potential impact on the Cahernane’s structure and setting, elected members were unanimous in upholding their previous decision to designate the land as ready for residential development.