Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Many of my constituents will know Castletown House in Celbridge, as will many people from various parts of the country, given it is centrally located. I thank the Deputy for his long-held and ongoing interest in Castletown House and estate. He and other elected representatives are members of the Castletown House and estate stakeholders' working group.

The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, has chaired six meetings of this working group since he took responsibility for the OPW in April. At the most recent meeting, he made clear that he will continue to be fully committed to finding a resolution. He has also met residents on another access point, along with the chairman of the OPW, to see whether that could be a resolution for temporary staff access to maintain Castletown House and grounds, and that engagement will continue. While, if agreement can be reached, this would resolve the issue of temporary staff access, the Minister of State and the OPW continue to engage on finding broader solutions to access to the Castletown estate. They want to find a solution for visitor parking and are continuing to consider and work on all options, including M4 access. The OPW is also working on a potential parking solution with the Kildare Innovation Campus. The OPW hopes to begin some topographical work on this site in the coming weeks to assess the best way forward for access.

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, including when the lands were offered for sale on the open market in 2022. Despite the best efforts of the OPW, however, the State was outbid and, ultimately, the lands were acquired by a private buyer. It continues to be the strategic objective of the OPW to reunite all the lands. The agency remains open to negotiations with the landowners to purchase all or part of the subject lands. In line with a commitment the Minister of State gave to the working group, he met the owners to discuss this further, and engagement will continue.

The OPW is in ongoing intensive engagement with the Office of the Attorney General to have the most comprehensive and up-to-date legal advices available to it on access routes to the estate and rights of way. I understand the latest discussion took place today and will continue with a view to having the advices finalised shortly. This is a priority for the Minister of State and the Office of Public Works. The Minister of State is keenly aware that all stakeholders want to see Castletown House and estate, and the OPW's team, welcoming both visitors and the local community to enjoy all that Castletown has to offer. He and senior management in the OPW are committed to working with all stakeholders to find a resolution in respect of the immediate situation and the long-term desire as well.

The OPW remains committed to endeavouring to acquire lands that formed part of the original estate, where they become available, to reunite the demesne. I assure the Deputy that the Minister of State and the OPW are fully committed to working with him and all elected representatives and stakeholders to find a resolution.

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