A plan to build a housing estate on the grounds of Adare Manor in west Limerick has been challenged by a local resident.

Tom Kane, the Irish-American owner of Adare Manor and managing general partner of Adare Partners, was granted planning permission by Limerick County Council to build 20 large detached houses and make alterations to an existing cottage which is a protected structure.

A separate application for 287 dwellings on the grounds is still in the planning process and, if granted permission, is expected to generate considerable local opposition.

The plan to build 20 houses has been appealed by a local man who lives in a small estate outside the walls of the manor to the rear of the proposed development. He believes the roads are inadequate to cope with extra traffic and says an area of natural beauty will be adversely impacted by the development. He contends that local people use a portion of the grounds as a pedestrian walkway which would be impeded by the development.

The population of Adare in 1996 was 1,042 and this is expected to rise to 3,000 by 2021. To meet housing demand, twice the amount of land needed to build houses for the increased population has been rezoned in the development plan.

Mr Kane, an Irish American businessman and former fighter pilot, reputedly bid for the manor over the phone in 1987 within 40 minutes of hearing it was on the market. He paid €2.5 million for the manor and 847 acres. The manor had previously belonged to the Earl of Dunraven.

An estimated €30 million has been invested in Adare Manor to turn it into a five-star 138-bed hotel and 18-hole championship golf course and leisure centre.