Lucan House purchase and future plans - Rolling Update
- Paul Gogarty TD
- Feb 22
- 7 min read
This update 22nd February. Previous updates 18th October 2024, 16th October, 6th September, 20th May, 23rd April, 21st March 2024, Dec 2023 and May 2023.
22nd February 2025 - Delayed consultation now underway and access to be facilitated from March
Access - Bookable access will commence in March, according to SDCC. This is a considerable delay but the consultation was also delayed until 2025.
Lucan House Consultation
As someone who played a role in Lucan House and grounds being sold to the Council by the Italian state, I am hugely invested in making this amenity as accessible as possible and as beneficial to the community as possible, while also protecting its heritage. Cllr Helen Farrell - Ind has already been to the forefront here with the Society for Old Lucan (SOL) in terms of surveying the site and no doubt she will highlight this more in her own updates.
The lands are high amenity and it's not suitable to put a large amount of building on the grounds. It's also important to look at how the lands can be linked with the rest of Lucan Demesne and potentially across the river, either as part of the continued canal greenway or something else. There have also been calls for off-street parking, especially if this becomes a tourist attraction, something which may eventually facilitate improvements to the adjacent village while also allowing access to local businesses. I've seen how grass grid parking can work in other areas, so this is definitely a possibility to the right of the main entrance, but if it did happen it would have to be done sensitively.
I look forward to seeing all the submissions from people in relation to this consultation and I know a lot of views will be expressed. We also want to ensure that people who would not be as IT-literate get a chance to have a say, so please assist people you know to have their voice heard on the consultation portal, and also engage in any public interfaces that are advertised.
18th October 2024 - Grounds to be opened to public!
In response to my request on October 14th for access to grounds while village works underway SDCC said it is now “making plans for regular public access to the grounds while we progress consultation and planning on its future use”.
This is very positive news. More details as they arise.
Works on wall breach to commence October 21st. More details on this here: https://www.paulgogarty.com/post/embassy-wall-october22
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16th October - CEO confirms that consultation on future use of Lucan House and grounds will commence this quarter and he also says he is willing to look at my suggestion to open the grounds in the meantime while Village Green works are underway.
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6th September - Now in public ownership. House open to public tomorrow Saturday 7th as part of Lucan Festival. Closed after that pending consultation process.
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20th May 2024 - "Parco Italia" official launch - Video self explanatory
The plaque commemorating the launch
Helen Farrell of the Society for Old Lucan meets President Higgins, President Matarella and HE Ambassador Corrias
Wall breach update - Also at event, SDCC Chief Executive Colm Ward indicated to me that there should be progress to start work repairing the embassy wall breach shortly.
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23rd April 2024 - Council gives initial presentation on timeline for Lucan House and key dates
As someone who played a small part in this process, I am delighted to see this latest progress. It's best explained by the presentation given at the last Area Committee of the current Council term, which took place on April 23rd.
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23rd March
Wall repair formally in SDCC hands
As embassy staff make preparations to vacate Lucan House, estimated to be by June of this year, SDCC today formally acknowledged that the embassy wall breach is now its responsibility.
SDCC notified Councillors today:
"As SDCC and the Embassy have a sale of the property agreed in principle the repair of the wall has passed back to SDCC. Tender docs were issued at the end of February and the closing date for the submission of tenders is early April.
"Once we have done a tender assessment and appointed a contractor we will get a better timeline for the works and keep you informed."
More information on this aspect in a separate article: https://www.paulgogarty.com/post/embassy-wall-october22
A considerable number of groups have already expressed an interest in accessing the grounds or seeking facilities on these lands in the village. However it's likely because of the amenity zoning and other heritage restrictions that the land will not be suitable for major infrastructural works. But it's important that as many people as possible in the community have an input as it would be a shame for this amenity to be purely focused on tourism and there needs to be a community benefit.
Any consultation in this regard will commence after the site has been vacated and while we don't have any definite update as of yet, I am guessing that this will be in the autumn. I will update if new info becomes available.
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- Significant Update 11th December - The purchase of Lucan House (Italian Ambassador's Residence) by SDCC has now been agreed -
The sale is subject to the Court of Auditors in Italy agreeing the process, but it appears a formality
The lands will come into the Council's ownership by June 2024 which allows time for the current Ambassador to make alternative arrangements
Funding has been set aside for a masterplan for the lands and this will involve a public consultation process. Capital programme has allocated €10,750,000 for the project, but no breakdown as of yet in terms of sale price
There are lots of positive community uses for the land from a tourism and heritage perspective that will also add to the Liffey Valley lands already in Council ownership and protect the amenity for future generations
The sale completion will also allow for works on the wall breach along the Lucan Road opposite Maxol to start progressing, although SDCC is still trying to get some movement from the Italian side in the interim
I will be chasing this wall breach up again once the lands are formally in SDCC ownership one way or another
This information was provided during a discussion on the rolling three year Capital Programme after I queried the allocation at that point and also asked for an update on Lucan House during discussions on the Manager's monthly report.
Well done to all concerned in making this purchase a reality and am delighted to have played a small role during my term as Mayor in this regard.
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About Lucan House
Lucan House, was built by Agmondisham Vesey and designed in conjunction with William Chambers, who also designed the Casino at Marino. The original castle on the grounds was once the residence of Patrick Sarsfield, the first Earl of Lucan and hero of the Siege of Limerick, who was subsequently awarded the title "Lord Lucan". This article has some interesting facts about Lucan House. For more read the books by Mary Mulhall and Joan O'Flynn "Treasures of Lucan" and "Lucan and Lucanians". There's also lots of useful Lucan history on the Society for Old Lucan Facebook page.
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- Earlier post (first published May 2023 and edited subsequently) -
Statement on the potential sale of Lucan House to South Dublin County Council:
“SDCC has secured agreement in principle for the purchase of Lucan house. This is subject to contract and the normal rigors of conveyancing and is currently very early in the process.”
There’s a long way to go on this matter yet, as per the above holding statement from the Council.
But to put it in context, full credit is due to the outgoing Chief Executive Daniel McLoughlin for showing initiative on this matter some years back.
In May 2018, during my term as Mayor, I was contacted by then-Ambassador Serpi (pictured here on the day) who wanted to meet with the Chief Executive, senior officials and I to discuss a number of matters pertaining to Lucan.
Several issues were discussed that morning some of which I can not go into in detail about.
During the conversation, having learned that the Italians were looking at potentially moving their consulate to Lucan (likely at the stables behind the AIB), but had also looked the possibility of selling Lucan House and grounds, I strongly suggested to Ambassador Serpi that the Council should be notified of any sale as it would be of immense value to the people of Lucan if it came into public hands. To his eternal credit, the CEO (who controls the purse strings, occasionally subject to Councillor approval) then asked the Ambassador to give SDCC first option on purchasing if they ever were to consider selling the property.
I’ve been criticised in past for expressing a desire on several occasions that the property would be brought into public ownership, including as a TD, but I’ve always clarified how much we value the relationship with our Italian friends and neighbours and appreciate their ongoing generosity and always acknowledged that any potential sale should be entirely up to them.
I say this as a Lucanian, whose late mother grew up across the road in Hanbury Lane and used to play in the wider Lucan Demesne area as a child.
So I wasn't shy about mentioning it again and it’s great to hear about this tentative purchase agreement, although It’s early days yet and nothing is finalised, so it would be unwise to speculate right now on the precise nature of any sale, on a timescale, or indeed any potential future use and availability of the property. It’s that big of a deal.
But it is fair comment to say that the people of Lucan would vastly prefer for Lucan House to be in public ownership than end up being purchased privately. Such a sale would be a game-changer for Lucan and I for one await the outcome with much interest and anticipation. Equally I appreciate that nothing more can be said or done at this time.
ENDS
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