Paddy McKillen jnr in bid to develop boutique resort and surf school at Wicklow beach

A company associated with Paddy McKillen jnr’s Oakmount has applied for planning permission to develop a boutique holiday resort and surf school on the clifftop lands at Magheramore Beach in Co Wicklow.

According to the planning application notice, which was erected at the entrance to the Wicklow lands earlier this week, McKillen’s company, Creatively Pacific Ltd, is looking to build what it describes as an integrated tourism/leisure, recreational (ITLR) complex along with 48 accommodation pods and a surf school facility on a 2.95 hectare (7.329 acre) portion of the 8.5 hectare (21 acre) site, which the developer acquired in the summer of 2021.

Should it secure approval from the planners at Wicklow County Council, the proposed ITLR complex would comprise a two-storey over lower ground-level building containing a gym, sauna, cinema and an outdoor swimming pool (24m x 10m) at lower ground level, a reception, bar and restaurant, washrooms and outdoor terrace at ground level, and an event room at first-floor level.

The proposed accommodation pods or guest lodges meanwhile would measure 21sq m (226sq ft) each, and be arranged along the eastern fringe of the site along with a dedicated 92sq m (990sq ft) structure, in which the developer aims to house a surf school facility, public toilets and public showers. As part of its application, McKillen’s company is also seeking permission for 49 car-parking spaces and 13 bike-parking spaces to serve the development’s main complex. The proposal also provides for the enhancement and supplementation of planting at the site to protect its existing ecology. Magheramore Beach itself is part of a large Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

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While fears had been expressed in relation to the question of future public access to the beach at the time of the Magheramore site’s sale two years ago, the promoters have stated in their planning application that the “existing public pedestrian access to the beach [at Magheramore] will remain unaffected”. Access to the site of the proposed resort will however be barrier-controlled by the operators of the complex.

Contacted by The Irish Times for comment on the planning application, Lisa Rocca, CEO of Oakmount said: “We have gone to great lengths to create a plan that respects and enhances this very special place. The development not only fits in but also hides in the landscape and cannot be seen from the beach. It gives public access in a way that fully respects natural qualities, ecology and the integrity of this stunning location”.

McKillen’s main development company, Oakmount, paid €700,000 to secure ownership of the wider Magheramore site in an online auction presided over by agent BidX1 in June 2021. While the amount paid represented a massive premium on the €210,000 the property had been guiding in advance of its sale, intense competition involving five parties on the day saw bids surpass the €550,000 mark. Wicklow County Council was among the unsuccessful underbidders.

Owned originally by the Columban order of sisters before its original sale back in the 1980s, and several sales since, the land serves as the route to Magheramore Beach, a beautiful cove beloved by surfers and the setting for numerous TV productions including historical dramas such as Vikings and Camelot, the EastEnders spin-off series Redwater, and Amy Huberman’s Finding Joy.

In recent years, the popular beach between Blainroe and Brittas Bay has served as the location for the annual “Dip in the Nip”, which sees a hardy band of swimmers take to the waves to raise funds for cancer research. The cove is also a hotspot for water sports and is widely considered the best location for surfing on Ireland’s east coast.

Commenting on Magheramore in their guide to the country’s best swimming spots, At Swim, Brendan MacEvilly writes: “You’d pass the place easily, 1.5km south of Blainroe Golf Club. It’s noticeable only by a couple of cars parked on the road ... on a beach like this, you might prefer things to stay as they are: peaceful. The only sound is the gushing of waves. A high wall of lush reeds, ferns and evergreens surround the beach, blocking out the world.”