Citywest Hotel owners plan to develop €5m solar farm

TETRARCH Capital, the owner of Citywest Hotel is planning to develop a €5m solar farm on part of the old Citywest golf course.

The company will submit a planning application to South Dublin County Council for an 8.5 acre ground-mounted solar farm this week.

If it is given the go-ahead, it will meet many of the needs of the Citywest campus, which comprises the main 750-room refugee hotel, a leisure centre and a convention centre.

It is thought the investment will be one of the biggest capital investments in green energy in the Irish hospitality sector yet.

The solar farm will be on land to the rear of the hotel and will back onto the N7 without being visible to the road.

Tetrarch is still going ahead with plans to build a €20m graveyard and public park on the remainder of the golf course lands.

In March, SDCC requested further information about the graveyard which if granted permission, would include more than 8,000 plots.

The solar farm, which will have an operational lifespan of 30 years, will include solar panels, battery storage and measures to enhance the biodiversity of the site.

Locals objected to the graveyard development because they said they would lose green leisure space.

Tetrarch Capital co-owns or manages €500m in assets, which includes the Mount Juliet hotel in Kilkenny and the Deer Park estate in Howth, where it also wants to develop a hotel, apartments and a graveyard.

The company is building more than 200 apartments close to Citywest hotel in Saggart and has plans to construct a €50m retirement community beside Blackrock College rugby club.

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