Westmeath County Council is being urged to reconsider plans for a commercial garden centre in the grounds of Belvedere House, near Mullingar, because the proposed development would compromise the setting of Ireland's largest architectural folly.
The folly, a sham ruin known as the Jealous Wall, was built in the mid-18th century by Belvedere's first owner, Robert Rochford, to block out views of Tudenham House, his brother George's even larger neo-Palladian house, immediately to the south.
The council bought Belvedere House and 160 acres of gardens and parkland on the shores of Lough Ennell in 1982 and has since developed it as a tourist attraction. It also restored the Jealous Wall after part of it was damaged by a storm.
It is now seeking to develop a "low profile" garden centre at Belvedere in partnership with a local business firm, O'Meara's. The centre would cover an area of 700sq metres (75,350 sq ft) and would include a building pre-fabricated in the Netherlands.
Local resident Paddy Whitelaw, a teacher who lives in a house on the Tudenham estate, claims that the scheme would have a negative impact on the setting of the Jealous Wall, disrupting its unique relationship with both Belvedere and Tudenham. The garden centre would be located 100m from his home.
Recent developments at Belvedere include the refurbishment and extension to the old stables, which adjoin the Jealous Wall, and their conversion into an interpretative centre.
In a detailed submission to the council, Mr Whitelaw's planning consultants, Masterplan, say they have no objection in principle to a commercial garden centre on the estate, but the location close to the Jealous Wall was "unacceptable".
They point out that Belvedere House is a protected structure in the Westmeath county plan and say this status also applied to the Jealous Wall. It is also included in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Westmeath.
However, Belvedere's manager, Bartle D'Arcy, said the site was the only suitable one available. In an interview with the Westmeath Examiner, he said: "There's no point in having it at an isolated site elsewhere on the estate, it won't work." He said huge care and attention to detail was taken in preparing the plans and that "all views will be intact".
