Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I felt it was important for me to be here for the debate. I thank the Deputy for his long-standing interest in Castletown House and estate. The Deputy has made ongoing representations through parliamentary questions and Oireachtas committees with regard to Castletown House and estate. He and his fellow representatives of Kildare are valued members of the Castletown House and estate stakeholders working group. This group was initiated by my predecessor, the then Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, in October 2023 to progress the reuniting of the historic demesne and access issues to Castletown House and estate. The group includes representatives of the community and all of the local political representatives in the area. To date, I have convened two meetings of this working group in my capacity as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW. As Deputy Durkan will be aware, I have scheduled a third meeting for next Tuesday, 28 May, to discuss all of the outstanding issues in relation to Castletown estate. I very much value the input of the working group.

Since I previously addressed this matter, I understand that the owner of the M4 lands has erected a gate across the entrance to those lands at the boundary between the section of privately owned road and the access spur road owned by the local authority. This entrance has been used by visitors to Castletown House to access the estate by means of the road and temporary car park previously used by the OPW under licence, which is known locally as the road off the M4. However, the placing of a gate on private property is not a matter over which the OPW has any control. The owners of lands are entitled to control access to their lands as they see fit, subject to compliance with the planning process.

As part of the policy to seek to reunite the historic Castletown demesne lands with the house and lands in the care of the State, the OPW has sought on several occasions to purchase the lands in question from Janus Securities, including when the lands were offered for sale on the open market in 2022. However, despite the very best efforts of the OPW, the State was outbid in the open market process and, ultimately, the lands were acquired by a private purchaser. However, it remains the strategic objective of the OPW to reunite all of the lands of the former Castletown estate where those lands are available for purchase. The OPW remains open to negotiations with the landowners to purchase all or part of the subject lands.

In line with a recent commitment I gave to the working group at our last meeting, earlier this week I met with the owners to discuss this further. I believe the meeting was a positive one and follow-on engagement is to take place.

I underline that the commitment of the OPW to the gradual consolidation of the former estate cannot be doubted. The OPW took ownership of Castletown House and estate in 1994. Much of the original demesne lands acquired over the years were in poor condition. The OPW has worked to open up the lands and to restore many of the landscape features, particularly the historic network of pathways across the estate and the vista towards the Conolly Folly.

At the meeting of the working group on 22 February, one of the community organisations submitted a proposal to the OPW that would see staff accessing the site through Lime Avenue at certain times of the day and leave the avenue primarily for pedestrians for the core part of the day, including during school commuting times. This was proposed as a temporary measure. It was further discussed at the working group meeting on 11 March. The key element of this proposal is an independent health and safety assessment of the impact of limited vehicular access on Lime Avenue. The OPW has appointed a health and safety professional from an Office of Government Procurement framework to carry out a specific audit of the use of the vehicular and pedestrian access routes for people with disabilities and external contractors. The safety audit is in draft form and will be a subject for discussion with the working group.

I go back to the core point the Deputy raised. As Minister of State, I want to work with all groups in order that we get Castletown and the estate fully reopened. I need to get the workers back in so we can deal with this issue. I had that engagement with the owners of the adjoining lands last week. It was a positive meeting. There will be a follow-on engagement, and I remain committed to working with Deputy Durkan, his colleagues and the community to find a way forward and a solution here.

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