A meeting held by Tipperary County Council with local and national representatives has heard that local people seeking a judicial review of the decision to grant a planning exemption for the use of Dundrum House Hotel as an asylum centre are likely to succeed.
The CEO of Tipperary County Council said that she would be informing the Dundrum Heritage Group that the Section 5 exemption granted for the Dundrum House Hotel in order to bypass planning should not have been granted.
Tipperary County Council may also now be liable for the legal fees of the Dundrum Heritage Group who sought the judicial review.
Locals in the tiny Tipperary village had strongly opposed the use of the hotel as an IPAS centre, saying that the village population of just 220 people would be outnumbered by the plan to accommodate 277 migrants in the site. The residents have now maintained a 24/7 protest at the gates of the hotel gates for over a year.
Now the County Council says that a Section 5 exemption – which allows those seeking to provide asylum accommodation to bypass the planning process – granted by Tipperary County Council in January 2025 to the company running the Dundrum House Hotel complex should not, in fact, have been granted.
Tipp Mid West Radio reports that the meeting yesterday evening “was arranged to inform local Public Representatives that the Judicial Review taken by the Dundrum Heritage Group is likely to result in a verdict in favour of the group.”
“It is understood that the Council’s legal team advised Council Management that the Section 5 Declaration granted by the Tipperary Planning Authority in January (2025) to the company running Dundrum House Hotel Complex should not have been granted due to compliance issues already raised with the management of Dundrum House Hotel in 2016.”
According to Tipp Mid West, “the CEO of Tipperary County Council Sinead Carr attended a special meeting of the Tipp Cahir Cashel Municipal District yesterday afternoon. South Tipperary Oireachtas members were also invited to attend.”
Tipperary County Council is to inform the High Court and the Dundrum Heritage Group of it’s position on the matter and a full statement from the council is expected later today. The Judicial Review Hearing regarding the Section 5 is currently scheduled for a date in September in the High Court.
The development may mean that the Department of Justice cannot proceed with the two year contract it signed with Utmasta for an IPAS Accommodation centre at the Dundrum location accommodating 277 persons.
Tipperary County Council may also now be liable for the legal fees of Dundrum Heritage Group. It is unclear how the matter will affect the current residents at Dundrum House Hotel Complex – approximately 70 persons seeking asylum in Ireland are understood to be residing at the complex.
Previously, planning breaches described as “significant” had been found at the Tipperary hotel with a warning letter issued to the operator of Dundrum House Hotel by Tipperary County Council’s planning office, with the correspondence listing six different issues “that the Council considers to be unauthorised development.”
In April, the Council gave the operator 4 weeks to respond to the issues raised, according to the local reports, which said “it is possible that the Council could take enforcement action that might require the cessation, demolition or discontinuance of the development,” and that the operator could also face potential fines.
It is understood that the issues “relate to construction works on the foundation of the former ballroom, the installation of a new wastewater treatment system, construction of a maintenance building, internal roads, a driving range, ball stop nets, parking spaces and the installation of a new ceiling in one of the bedrooms,” according to Tip MidWest.
Speaking at the time, local TD Mattie McGrath called on the Minister for Integration to “urgently withdraw” the two-year contract for IPAS Accommodation at Dundrum House Hotel following the breaches.
Deputy McGrath said: “A warning letter has been issued by Tipperary County Council to Brogan Capital Ventures Ltd in respect of multiple planning breaches found at Dundrum House Hotel. Some of the alleged unauthorised developments at the hotel include the construction of a roofed structure on the foundation of the former ballroom, construction of a maintenance building in the carpark, construction of new internal access roads and provision of a new waste water treatment system and ancillary works among others.
“Following the announcement of a Contract having been signed last week, serious questions have been raised in relation to the manner in which such a contract could be signed when there are serious matters relating to Dundrum House Hotel before the courts. There are also serious concerns in relation to the legitimacy of the company with whom the Department have entered into a contract with and I have already put these questions to the Minister for Integration and await a reply.”
The TD added: “I have also referred the matter to the Comptroller and Auditor General and to the Office of Government Procurement and I have sought an investigation into the manner in which this contract has been entered into.
“The news now that Tipperary County Council has issued a Warning letter in respect of Unauthorised Developments at Dundrum House Hotel brings this contract further into dispute and we cannot have a Government Department entering into a contract in a respect of a property where there are numerous planning breaches.
“I have brought this matter to the urgent attention of the Minister for Integration and we need answers. There must be transparency and respect for the laws of the land including planning laws and we cannot stand over a Government department entering into a contract when there are such serious outstanding matters.”
Last year, Deputy McGrath said that local people in the Tipperary village had been treated “like second-class citizens” by the Government.
“They are being treated like second-class citizens. They are not being helped. A force of 200 Gardaí was sent down one morning, at a cost of €26,000. It was like the siege of Dundrum. That is not the way to treat ordinary people. I remind the Minister that we live in a democracy,” Deputy McGrath said last September.
DUNDRUM HERITAGE GROUP
Dundrum Heritage Group, which wants the 300-year-old heritage property to be restored and used as a Country House Hotel, previously said that “urgent” action was needed over the “critical infrastructure failure” highlighted by the County Council.
“Following complaints from Dundrum Heritage Group, Tipperary County Council has confirmed that the sewerage system at Dundrum House Hotel is defective and not fit for purpose,” they said.
“A formal warning has been issued to Brogan Capital Ventures Ltd., ordering immediate remedial or full replacement works.
“The Department of Children, Disability and Equality announced on April 15th plans to increase occupancy at the site from just over 100 to 277 residents. This decision has sparked concern among locals, who fear the failing infrastructure poses serious environmental and health risks,” the group added.
“Dundrum Heritage Group is now calling for the immediate cancellation of all contracts at the site. The group maintains that Dundrum House Hotel, a 300-year-old heritage property, should be restored and is best utilised as a country house hotel.”