On September 3rd, Tetrarch subsidiary Cape Wrath Hotel Unlimited Company received permission from An Bord Pleanála to construct a substantial cemetery at the former site of a golf club within the Citywest hotel complex, found in West Dublin. This approval comes after a local resident made a appeal last year against an initial grant made by the South Dublin County Council. The planned cemetery, which will house over 8,000 burial plots, is predicted to be valued at roughly €20 million, by considering the prices of plots at other local cemeteries.
The permission, however, comes under 22 conditions. Funerals must not be conducted on site and a tree survey should be carried out. Additionally, the developers will need to present a “glint and glare assessment” to make sure the construction does not affect the flight safety at the neighbouring Casement Aerodrome, run by the Air Corps.
The new cemetery will primarily be located within the former golf course’s fairways. In order to minimise the effects on the local ecology, the existing woodland will be preserved, informed Tom Rabbette, the board’s inspector. Rabbette also appreciated the design of the accompanying reception building and said the facility would make a significant civic amenity in the light of the surrounding developments, without having a negative impact on the visual and residential assets of the area.
The new development is set to consist of a single-storey reception building with a total floor area of 215 square metres, a maintenance building, parking facilities for 110 cars, and bicycle stands. Additionally, several columbarium walls have been planned to inter the ashes of those cremated.
This cemetery project, proposed for the site of the Citywest golf club which closed down in 2020, is the second plan proposed by Tetrarch for these grounds. In 2021, they sought permission for a sizeable “sports and civic campus”, which would include diverse sports facilities, a mini-golf course, and even a bar and restaurant.
Tetrarch was contacted for a comment but did not respond.
The plan faced resistance from Saggart local businesses and a community group, who raised their issues to the council regarding potential traffic issues and uncertainty about whether a proposed road within the development could facilitate a significant housing project.
In 2014, Tetrarch and another investor bought the Citywest complex for approximately €30 million from the National Asset Management Agency. The complex, initially developed by the now-deceased businessman Jim Mansfield, came under the full control of Tetrarch in 2018.
At present, the hotel, which is the country’s largest with over 750 bedrooms, provides accommodation for refugees from Ukraine and other international protection applicants under a state-contracted agreement set to terminate next year. Citywest exclusively served as an auxiliary hospital and then as a vaccination hub for the state via the Health Service Executive during the peak of the Covid pandemic.