65 structures built without planning permission in Kippure, County Wicklow have not been removed despite the local authority ordering their removal.
The 65 houses were built on the site of the Kippure Lodge and Holiday Village, Kippure Estate, Manor Kilbride, Blessington, County Wicklow which currently houses approximately 200 international protection applicants in other buildings.
The site is currently owned by Goldstein Properties Icav and managed by Seefin Events Unlimited.
As Gript reported in May, Wicklow County Council’s enforcement division ordered that 14 stone masonry clad buildings and 51 dwelling houses be removed from the site within 16 weeks of the 13th of May.
This was the second enforcement notice received by the owners in respect of the development.
Local Cllr. Gerry O’Neill told Gript that he found the actions of those behind the development “absolutely outrageous.”
An application has been made to An Bord Pleanála by Goldstein Properties Icav and Seefin Events Unlimited Company in respect of the development at Kippure. The application asks whether the development “is or is not development or is or is not exempted [from planning laws] development”.
Seefin did not answer Gript’s query as to why it feels the development may not be subject to planning requirements.
Cllr. O’Neill told Gript that, “The role of An Bord Pleanála is to make a decision on a decision made by the council if they refuse permission on a planning application”
“I can’t really get my head around how they [Goldstein and Seefin] would be talking to An Board Pleanála when they had no planning [application] in the first place,” he said.
The An Bord Pleanála application lodged in respect of the development is due a decision on the 3rd of December 2024.
“This is purely an enforcement [issue]” he said, emphasising that Wicklow County Council has sent two enforcement orders so far in respect of the development.
“There’s no planning applications with these people whatsoever,” he said, adding that there was “no file number”.
Cllr. O’Neill claims that he has been “blocked” from discussing the issue within Wicklow County Council and that he lost a vote to have it discussed at the council meeting last Monday with 12 votes in favour of holding a discussion and 17 against.
Cllr. O’Neill previously described the development as “one of the greatest planning scandals to hit the country in a long long time,” detailing how long standing trees and a belfry from the 1800s had been removed from the site”, he wrote.
The Currency reported that the 300-acre estate “was bought in 2020 by Quanta Capital, an investment vehicle which buys and manages assets on behalf of Goldstein Property Icav, the registered owner of the estate.”
“The estate lands include Kippure Lodge, which is leased to Seefin Events Unlimited. Seefin manages the holiday village, partly used to house international protection applicants for which the company has received almost €14 million in payments from the Department of Integration since 2023,”
The directors of Seefin Events Unlimited are Carol Dwyer, and Sinéad Fennelly, who are also the directors of a number of other companies which received, between them, more than €33m from State accommodation contracts last year.
More details on the business dealings of Fennelly and Dwyer can be read here.
Gript’s Matt Treacy previously revealed an extensive list of those involved with Goldstein Properties ICAV and Quanta Capital.
“Goldstein Property also owns premises in East Wall and at Airways Industrial Estate, Santry, which have also been used to accommodate persons claiming International Protection.”
One of the directors of Quanta Capital, Eoghan Coughlan, is also listed as a director of Goldstein Holdings Limited, registered in the Isle of Man, and Goldstein Properties UK.
Barrister Joe Christle is also registered as one of the directors of Goldstein Properties UK and the founder and CEO of Quanta Capital, Mel Sutcliffe is listed as a “person of significant control” in the company.
As Gript previously revealed, the owners of Kippure Manor-based Seefin Events and were granted a loan by a financial company controlled by former Anglo Irish Bank executive Tiarnan O’Mahoney.
Gript contacted Wicklow County Council asking for comment on the issues raised in this piece.
We were told that, “The Planning Authority continues to carry out its investigations, including onsite inspections. This is a live enforcement case, therefore we have no further comment to make.”Gript asked the owners of the site why they had failed to comply with the instructions of Wicklow County Council, what the purpose of the buildings was, and why they felt they were in a position to continue works in spite of orders to desist. A representative of Seefin said they would not be making any comment.