Fingal County Council Approves Plan For Redevelopment At Howth Castle – Iconic Dublin Building set for redevelopment
Fingal County Council have approved a planning application by Michael J Wright Group and Tetrarch capital to redevelop the grounds of Howth Castle for visitors to the historic site. Howth Castle is 800 years old. Until it was sold in 2019, it was home to one family for all that time, making it one of the longest continuously inhabited homes in Europe.
• The €10 million redevelopment plan includes a 150-seater restaurant under a glass-covered pavilion to attract visitors to Howth Castle.
• There will be a range of retail stores built, as well as a wedding marquee in the South of the grounds and a cookery school.
• Other attractions on the grounds are set to include a picnic area and playground, a falconry and petting farm and a garden centre.
• The construction phase will create 100 jobs, as well as 150 new jobs when the development is completed.
• The 6 klm of internal walk and cycleways will provide a link between Howth and Sutton.
• Finally, The National Transport Museum is to remain a focal point of the development.
Howth Castle has often been a much sought after venue for weddings, films and other events: In 1963 it was used in Francis Ford Coppola’s first feature film Dementia 13, starring William Campbell and Luana Anders. It was renamed Haloran castle in a film which was Coppola’s foray into gothic films.
More recently it has been used in The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) and Wolf (2021).
The St Lawrence family sold Howth Castle to Tetrarch investment group together with Irelands Eye in 2019.
The new development is designed to create a focal point for visitors to Howth castle and attract more tourists to Fingal. It will encourage visitors to come by public transport or on bike, with the expansion of a pedestrianised area around the castle.
Fingal County Council in their approving of the scheme included a number of conditions, the most notable of which concerns parking. The proposed overflow car park is to be omitted from the scheme, and now parking will not exceed 151 spaces. A road which was to be built to the East side of Howth Castle will also be omitted.
Mr. Wright reacted to the news with enthusiasm, saying “The team are pleased with the decision to grant planning permission. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Howth Castle and expect it to become a key wedding and tourism destination”.
Hashtags: #HowthCastleRedevelopment 
