The new owners of Mr Charles Haughey's Abbeville estate in north Dublin are seeking planning permission for a hotel, golf and residential development on the 230-acre site at Kinsealy.
The former Taoiseach and his wife, Mrs Maureen Haughey, are still resident in Abbeville House, although they are expected to move from the estate whenever building work begins. Aged 80 this year, Mr Haughey is in poor health.
However, objections to the planning permission are likely, so even if Fingal County Council approves the scheme, building work will not start for many months.
Manor Park Homebuilders, which acquired the estate for some €45 million from Mr Haughey's family in 2003, published a 14-point planning application to the council on Saturday.
The company, which made an after-tax profit of €24.88 million in the year to March 2004, said in the notice that it planned to develop a two-storey 70-bedroom hotel on the site in two phases.
While the estate is big enough for up to 4,000 homes, the scheme includes only 46 homes.
This follows an official report last year in which the council said that "all development must respect the retention of the demesne as a single identifiable entity".
The planning application said the first phase of the hotel will include 28 bedrooms, a spa and leisure centre, bar areas, a breakfast room, a restaurant, lounge, meeting rooms and reception area. The second phase will involve the restoration of a walled garden and the demolition of sheds and late 20th century structures such as the indoor riding arena. The scheme includes an 18-hole championship golf course with three lakes.
Also included are 32 detached two-storey five and six-bedroom houses with garages which would be built in three clusters within the golf course area.
An additional 14 "courtyard-styled" four-bedroom homes would be built in three terraced rows for use as tourist accommodation.
It also includes a bowling green, a golf practice area, a three-storey golf club house with restaurant and bar areas and 344 car-parking spaces for hotel guests and golf club members.
Manor Park Homebuilders is controlled by businessman Mr Joe Moran, who is chief executive of IWP, the household goods and personal care products manufacturer. He owns 51 per cent of Manor Park, while 49 per cent is held by the industrial holding group DCC, led by Mr Jim Flavin.
Mr Haughey acquired Abbeville House for £120,000 in 1969, when he was minister for finance. The mansion was designed by James Gandon.
Mr Haughey made a final tax settlement of €5 million with the Revenue in 2003. This payment brought his tax settlements arising from the disclosures at the McCracken and Moriarty tribunals to €6.28 million.
Mr Haughey remains potentially liable, however, for significant legal fees arising from his representation at the Moriarty tribunal, which has yet to report its findings.
