Sligo council withdraws objection to Lissadell boundary fence

Sligo County Council has withdrawn an objection made to An Bórd Pleanála over the erection of a boundary fence at Lissadell House and Demense in a move that seemingly brings long-running hostilities over the property to an end.

The council had objected to the installation of a barbed wire fence on the grounds of Lissadell House by owners Edward Walsh and Constance Cassidy in 2011.

However, it has dropped the objection following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a High Court ruling which allowed rights of way to the 408-acre estate for the general public.

The grounds were officially re-opened to the public last month at a ceremony attended by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the surrounding fences at the centre of the planning appeal have since been removed.

The move marks the culmination of a legal dispute that could end up costing the county council about €5.25 million after it was ordered to pay 75 per cent of the legal costs.

Fine Gael Sligo county councillor Joe Leonard put forward a motion in 2008 to include four rights of way in the council’s development plan, but the final Supreme Court judgement last November determined that just 265m of the 5.2km of avenues in question should be available for public access.

The 19th century Victorian residence is the ancestral home of 1916 Easter Rising leader Constance Markievicz, and has undergone extensive renovation and improvement works to the tune of €9 million over the last number of years. The owners said they did not draw down any available State grants to fund the renovatoins.

The property was purchased by Mr Walsh and Ms Cassidy, both of whom are barristers, from Josslyn-Gore Booth for €3.25 million in 2003. It includes a series of Alpine and kitchen gardens, galleries named after Markievicz and William Butler Yeats as well as woodland ramble paths.