A luxurious mansion in Co Tipperary owned by businessman Tony Ryan is set for redevelopment following a fire that gutted a large part of the property last year.
Elaborate plans have been drawn up by Quinlan & Francis Terry, an Essex-based architectural firm, for the rebuilding of the 226-year-old Kilboy House, set on a beautiful estate in the townland of Kilboy, Dolla, five miles from Nenagh.
Mr Ryan's son, Shane, is seeking planning permission from North Tipperary County Council for the partial demolition of the existing single storey house, a protected structure, which is located over a basement.
His plan is for the reconstruction of a three-storey period house as originally constructed on the site in 1780.
The council has written to the developer stating it has inadequate information on the plans and cannot yet make a decision. It is seeking further information on the rebuilding plan.
The council said there are some anomalies in the drawings submitted with the application and asked for revised plans addressing its concerns.
Among other things, it wants the developer to clarify if he is going to retain the existing ceiling of the basement in full or in part.
The council wants to ascertain if a stone wall at the rear of the house enclosing the courtyard is to be retained and if the wing of the house that is currently habitable is to be demolished.
Coincidentally, the house was burnt down during the Civil War but was rebuilt by the then owner, Lord Dunalley. Lack of funds resulted in the house being reduced to a single-storey property in the 1950s.
Referring to the redevelopment in the 1950s, the council noted that the house now had "little notable architectural features worthy of protection".
But planners felt that any proposals for alterations should be carefully considered so as to retain as much of the fabric and features of the existing structure remaining at both basement level and on part of the ground-floor level.
The council has requested the developer to submit a number of details it feels are relevant to the application, including a comprehensive demolition method statement.
In the blaze last year a complete wing of the multimillion euro property was gutted and significant smoke damage caused to the rest of the building.
Firefighters managed to move a collection of expensive paintings and furniture from the house before the flames reached them. The roof of the property caved in and three bedrooms were destroyed.
Tony Ryan, a native of Thurles and founder of Ryanair, purchased the house and the surrounding Kilboy estate in the 1980s. He spent a lot of money upgrading the house and establishing an art gallery in the basement. Mr Ryan's son, Shane, has been living in the property in recent years.