Aldborough House may be brought back into State ownership

Aldborough House, one of Dublin’s most significant Georgian mansions, could be brought back into State ownership following indications from the Government it would be willing to fund its purchase.

Completed in 1803, the house on Portland Row in the northeast inner city is the largest Georgian residence in the city after Leinster House, and was the last Georgian mansion built in Dublin. It has been vacant for more than 20 years and has suffered extensive damage to its roof and windows and serious internal deterioration from water ingress and vandalism.

Aldborough House was in State ownership throughout the 20th century until it was sold in 1999 to the Irish Music Rights Organisation (Imro) for use as its headquarters. Five years ago Reliance Investments Ltd, a company associated with machinery hire firm Pat O’Donnell and Company, was granted permission to develop the house for offices and construct two new five-storey “office wings” in its grounds despite criticism of the scheme by the Department of Heritage and conservation organisations.

However, the project did not go ahead, and while in the last two years external restoration works, part funded by the Government’s Historic Structures Fund, were undertaken to prevent further deterioration of the building, permission for the office development has now lapsed.

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In response to a question from Labour Party Senator Marie Sherlock on the future of the historic mansion, Minister of State for Agriculture Martin Heydon said the purchase of the house by Dublin City Council could be considered as an urban regeneration project for the area.

“If the project outcomes were anchored in issues such as societal change, reduction in crime, raising of confidence in the region, opening up a gateway for further development in the north inner city and the restoration of an important protected structure, perhaps there would be funding available.”

Speaking in the Seanad this month Mr Heydon, who was answering the question on behalf of Minister for Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe, said he had the “very strong sense from this response that the Government will not be found wanting if the appropriate plan is put in place to develop the building, as outlined by the Senator”. The building has “really good potential for being a focal point for the local community. and I hope to see that developed in the future,” Mr Hayden said.

Speaking on Sunday Ms Sherlock said “the interest expressed by the Government in seeing the building brought to life must be made real”. The State and the council must ensure the building “no longer sucks energy out of Portland Row”, she said.

“We are acutely aware of the massive shortages of early-years education spaces in the inner city, a significant number of services who wish to expand but cannot because of a lack of suitable buildings, there is an ongoing huge shortage of supply of artists’ spaces and that is before we talk about the chronic affordable housing shortage in this part of the city,” Ms Sherlock said.

The city council could not provide a response on Sunday. Pat O’Donnell and Company could not be contacted on Sunday, but has previously said it did not wish to comment on Aldborough House.