A HISTORIC WICKLOW pub that once hosted some of Hollywood’s biggest stars is set to be redeveloped as part of a housing project.
It is now planned that a dozen houses and 10 apartments will be built at the site of the Wicklow Arms, while the pub itself will be converted into a restaurant and two retail units.
The Wicklow Arms pub building in Delgany village dates back to 1858, when it was used as a coach house.
From the 1880s it traded under the ‘Newel’s Hotel’ moniker, before taking on the Wicklow Arms name. Its original front section is a listed building.
Due to its proximity to Ardmore Studios, which opened in 1858, the pub has hosted major Hollywood names such as Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole during its trading days.
History
Liz Taylor and Richard Burton also visited the pub during the filming of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold in 1963.
The pub traded well into the 90s, but fell on hard times in the new century before closing. It was lying idle by the time it was put up for sale for €1.5 million in 2014.
A company called Cruslim Property later applied for planning permission to develop the site. Several prominent property figures are involved in Cruslim.
Developer Alan Hegarty, the son-in-law of the well-known builder Liam Maye, is a director of the company. Maye, who died in 2008, was one of the developers involved in the construction of Dundrum Town Centre.
Cruslim applied to build 12 three-bedroom bedroom houses and 10 apartments at the Wicklow Arms site as well as retail and office space.
It also applied for permission to convert the historic Wicklow Arms building itself into a restaurant and two retail units.
‘Out of character’
While the local authority granted permission, this decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by several parties, including the Delgany Community Council, a volunteer group of local residents and businesses.
The group said that the proposed development were “out of character” for the town and failed to take “adequate account of the designated status of the area”.
Several other local residents also made individual submissions in which they said that the proposed project would “have a negative impact on the distinctive character of Delgany village”.
Despite the objections, An Bord Pleanála decided to grant permission for the development with several minor conditions.
In its decision, the inspector for the planning body said that the development “would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity (and) would be acceptable in the context of the visual amenities of the area”.
Written by Paul O’Donoghue and posted on Fora.ie
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