Planning application for major Moorhill House development withdrawn

Plans for a major residential development on the site of the historic Moorhill House on Tullamore's Clara Road, which attracted strong opposition from local residents, have been withdrawn at the request of the proposed developer, Cayenne Holdings Ltd.

Offaly County Council has accepted a written request from Seamus Kane, Director of Cayenne Holdings Ltd., seeking a withdrawal of his planning application for a proposed development at Moorhill House “with immediate effect.”

Cayenne Holdings Ltd., had lodged a planning application in August 2023 for refurbishment and restoration works on the Clara Road site of Moorhill House to create a three-bedroom house, along with the construction of 24 one-bedroom apartment units in a single and a three-storey block.

The proposed residential development would include the partial rear demolition of the protected structure with proposed refurbishment and rear single and two storey extension to create a three-bedroom house.

In the curtilage of the protected structure, 24 one-bedroom units were proposed in a single and three storey block with associated site works.

Refurbishment work on the main house would have rsulted in the reinstatement of the “significant Georgian-style features” of the period property, such as the sliding sash windows, slate roof and external render, according to the planning documents, with the original internal layout at ground and first floor level also due to be retained.

The three-storey block of apartments on the site would “face onto the Clara road” but would reduce “in size and scale” where it meets the original house, allowing it to retain its “character and significance on the site.”

An architectural heritage impact assessment submitted as part of the planning application described the current condition of Moorhill House as being "derelict, fire-damaged, vandalised... in a state of partial collapse and in dangerous structural condition.”

The plans for the redevelopment of Moorhill House by Cayenne Holdings Ltd attracted a significant number of objections from nearby residents on the Clara Road, some of whom claimed it was out of character with the remainder of the properties in the area and would seriously interfere with the privacy and quiet enjoyment of their properties.