Dunhallow House in Rathcoole will be turned into a funeral home after permission was granted
Green light for Rathcoole funeral home
PLANNING permission has been granted for the change of use of an office building to a funeral home, at the site of Dunhallow House on Rathcoole’s Main Street.
The proposal includes a 1.53 sqm ground floor extension to the rear of the building, minor internal alterations, a new shopfront and signage to the front and alterations to previously approved plans.
Applicant Brian McElroy is noted to have taken out a lease on part of the property, including the street-facing protected structure.
Brian McElroy Funeral Directors also has locations in Tallaght, Clondalkin and Crumlin.
The plaza at the front of the building will be used as a hearse set-down area, as per the proposal.
The owner of the property is in the process of building a residential development at the rear of the house, having gained planning permission in 2023.
The conditions of that planning permission are being implemented in full by the owner, and no works were proposed to the protected structure as part of the application.
The site contains a two-storey structure with a pitched roof profile and is on the Record of Protected Structures, dating back to approximately 1820 and has a side extension from 1977.
The finishes of the front façade of the subject dwelling comprise roughcast rendered.
As stated in the application, the extent of works to the protected structure “is quite limited” and relates to the “usability of the premises as a funeral home, including disabled access” and the provision of an accessible bathroom.
The application also states that the applicant is “keen to stress that no embalming services will be provided at this location. This is carried out at an approved location off-site.”
As noted in the cover letter, there is no funeral home in Rathcoole, Saggart or Newcastle. This proposed funeral home would be a “beneficial addition to the local communities”, and it is to be noted that Dunhallow House is “located near the local churches in Rathcoole.”
A third-party submission was received regarding the proposal and referred to the preservation of the building’s external structure and design features.
The submission supported the change of use proposed as it would bring business to the wider Rathcoole village centre and also noted the previous planning permission included a large semi-circular flower bed; they would wish to see a similar planting and SuDs design in the proposed development.
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