Grange Mills upgrade in the pipeline with new plans

By Maurice Garvey

THE historic Grange Mills at the 12th Lock in Lucan, could be in line for a redevelopment – plans have been lodged with South Dublin County Council to refurbish the building for residential and retail use.

Grange Mills is a protected structure, the two-storey mill building was built around 1860 to meet local needs – transporting food and materials to Dublin city.

The construction of the canal necessitated the construction of other buildings at the 12th Lock, and Grange Mills was used for industrial use until recently.

The owner of the Ballymakaily site is apparently open to the idea of the building being used for a range of possibilities.

A planning application lodged by Conor and Barry O’Donovan, Baldonnell Business Park, includes proposals for a redevelopment, which will consist of the sub-division of existing unit into three units – two four-bed homes, a retail unit, and a coffee shop.

An architectural heritage impact assessment of the site was prepared at the request of Derek Whyte Rural Design and Planning Consultancy.

The report used National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) criteria to identify and evaluate heritage.

It found that the mill forms an important component of a group of structure developed at the 12th Lock, but that the mill building itself does not appear to be associated with any special historical event or person.

Proposals in the report list two options for possible development – conversion of the property into two residential units, or conversion of the property into two residential units with a commercial unit at the west end.

The report encourages the retention of the historic masonry shell, while removing features which do not contribute to the architectural heritage.

Potential refurbishments include re-roofing the building, re-furbishing the interior, maintaining the appearance of the façade, but not to re-open the basement level.

At a pre-planning meeting regarding the development on May 27, council planners noted the benefit of the redevelopment would need to be balanced with challenges on the site such as lack of parking, private amenity space and drainage issues.

The council are due to make a decision on the planning application by July 25.