Tipperary County Council has granted planning permission to demolish derelict farm buildings owned by JP Magnier at Parkville near Clonmel in Co Tipperary.
JP Magnier is the son of stud owner John Magnier. And in March 2024, the Magniers’ Coolmore Stud is reported to have paid €2.425 million, or almost €38,000 an acre, for the 64-acre farm at Parkville. The lands had a guide price of €1.28m.
Last September, Coolmore-linked company Melclon UC lodged plans for the demolition of existing derelict buildings at Parkville together with all associated site development works and just under 30 objections were lodged with Tipperary County Council against the demolition plan.
The objections followed a demonstration against the proposal on October 3rd last at the site.
The council has granted planning permission for the scheme after earlier stalling the plan over concerns regarding bats, as the structures proposed for demolition could have had potential for roosting bat species.
However, a bat survey carried out by Dr Jane Russell O’Connor on behalf of Melclon UC found no bat fauna or signs of recent bat activity detected at the site.
However, Dr Russell O’Connor said that as the survey was carried out during the hibernation period from November to February, there was still a possibility of bat activity and roosting at the site during the active season.
A notice placed on the gate at the site by the applicants stated that “these lands contain a derelict yard of rubble stone construction. After decades of serious neglect, it is heavily overgrown and crumbling and is now a serious health and safety concern.”
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The notice indicated that “the owner has applied for demolition on health and safety grounds”.
However, one of the objectors, Alan Moore, told the council that the buildings earmarked for destruction “are part of our history and are irreplaceable”.
He said that the Parkville farm building complex “is very old, probably dating from [the] late 1700s and has a historically important courtyard layout which includes finely detailed arched entrances with cut stone surrounds”.
