Planners at Fingal County Council are expected to seek further information before making a decision on a proposed 70-bedroom hotel at Abbeville, the north Dublin home of former taoiseach Mr Charles Haughey.
A planning application for the hotel, within the walled garden of the estate at Kinsealy, was submitted to the council before Christmas in order to make the December 31st deadline before changes to generous tax reliefs for hotel developments.
On Saturday the developers, who bought the estate from the Haughey family for €45 million in 2003, published a further planning application outlining proposals for a golf course and 32 houses. Manor Park Homebuilders also applied for a courtyard development consisting of 14 four-bed houses to be used as tourist accommodation.
Planners were due to make a decision on the two-storey hotel this week, under regulations requiring decisions to be made within six weeks. It is now highly likely that the planners will seek further information and will make a decision on the hotel at the same time as the overall proposed development.
The 230-acre estate is currently zoned as green belt. As such the only type of development that can be considered is of tourism amenities. There is a provision under the current Fingal county development plan for such facilities to be part-financed by some private housing on the land, as was the case with a development at Luttrellstown.
Mr Haughey and his wife currently live on the estate under a deal with the developers.