Proposed plans for the former Italian Ambassador’s Residence in Lucan Village were presented to Councillors of the Lucan and Palmerstown-Fonthill Area Committee on the 23rd of April. The sale of ‘Lucan House’ is expected to close in June with a formal handover event to be arranged.
Cllr Derren Ó Brádaigh was speaking following the meeting and said “the acquisition of Lucan House and its incredible surrounding grounds by South Dublin County Council was greeted with excitement and welcomed by everyone when we first learned of this last year. Lucan Village as a gateway to the Liffey Valley was designated as a ‘destination town’ by Fáilte Ireland under its destination development programme, something I wholeheartedly welcomed. Accompanied by €2m in allocated funding by the Council last year for public realm improvements to the weir, village green and entrance to St Catherine’s Demesne, the potential now to grow and expand the economic potential, whilst promoting the cultural and historical richness of Lucan is immense.
Cllr Ó Brádaigh said“The closing sale is expected to happen in June and there will be a post-handover assessment of the house and grounds thereafter. However, it is expected that the intended purpose of the wonderful house and space will be to serve as a driver to attract tourism into our beautiful village, whilst developing the house and demesne as a community and wider county amenity. The opportunities are great in my view, and I do hope to see Lucan House now being open to the public and providing locals and visitors with a space that can be enjoyed by families in the near future.
The Councillor also said “The appointment of consultants to develop a masterplan are scheduled to take place before the end of August of this year. Naturally this will consider conservation of surrounding nature and the built heritage within the property. The masterplan will investigate the best uses for the mutual benefit of the community and beyond, whilst examining the potential economic, recreational and environment uses.
Ó Brádaigh concluded by saying“The property dates to the eighteenth century with the palladian villa style house built in 1772, with additional buildings and structures of note including a bath house, single arch stone bridge, a steelwork bridge, two gate lodges, stable block and more. The history itself dates to 1560. The development of the property going forward will be included as part of the Capital Provision 3 Year programme and the investment is significant. This is a brilliant project, and I am fully supportive in welcoming this progress and commend South Dublin County Council for their vision and investment in Lucan.”
