Plans lodged for demolition of former Taoiseach’s home on Scholarstown Rd
By Aideen O'Flaherty
PLANS for the demolition of a house in Knocklyon called Beechpark – the former residence of Liam Cosgrave, the Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1973 to 1977 – have been lodged with South Dublin County Council.
The property, and the 5.2-hectare site on Scholarstown Road that it is located on, was bought by property developer Ardstone Homes last year, who lodged the application for demolition and enabling works with the council last week.
Ardstone Homes is behind a number of substantial residential developments, including the 175-unit White Pines development in Rathfarnham, with the building firm also planning to construct over 2,000 houses in commuter counties such as Kildare and Wicklow.
The site of Liam Cosgrave’s former home was the subject of an archaeological excavation from last October up to February this year – it was reported on Independent.ie that around 60 Bronze Age bodies had been discovered on site, alongside evidence of Iron Age occupation and a ring fort.
However, in a statement to The Echo last February, a spokesperson for Ardstone Homes said: “As part of our assessment of the site we undertook an archaeological investigation under the direction of an independent archaeologist and some archaeological features were discovered on a small portion of the site.”
In their current application concerning the Beechpark site, Ardstone Homes is seeking permission for the demolition of Beechpark, a 172 sq m single-storey dwelling located towards the western portion of the site.
The developer is also seeking permission for the diversion of the existing private foul drainage network within the boundary of the subject site, while maintaining services to existing third party connections.
A decision on Ardstone Homes’ application is due from South Dublin County Council by May 9.
