Lawlor plea to have family home rezoned

The wife of the former TD, Mr Liam Lawlor, will make an oral application to An Bord Pleanála today to have their family home …

The wife of the former TD, Mr Liam Lawlor, will make an oral application to An Bord Pleanála today to have their family home at Lucan rezoned to allow for a "fast-track" high-density housing development.

Ms Hazel Lawlor will make her application at a meeting in the Gresham Hotel. She wants Somerton House and its grounds included in a 550-acre development in Lucan designated for the creation of new town, Adamstown, which is projected to have a population of 20,000.

The Adamstown Strategic Development Zone was designated by the Government in 2001.

The decision is being appealed by various local interests including private individuals, land-owners, developers, Superquinn and Lucan Golf Club.

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Those appealing the decision include Maplewood Homes, which purchased more than 20 acres of land from Mr Lawlor in the 1990s.

The Mahon planning tribunal has heard that £100,000 sterling of the price for an additional acre purchased two years ago was paid under the counter to Mr Lawlor.

In advance of the hearing, Ms Lawlor has said in a written observation that Somerton House was included in the original plan for Adamstown but that the house and lands had been excluded "for no explained or justifiable reason".

She asserted that the house was very much part of the zone.

Earlier this month the Mahon planning tribunal asked the High Court to order that payment of a bill for some €430,000 be enforced by the sale of lands owned by Mr Lawlor or on foot of an order for possession of those lands.

Mr Lawlor has been issued with a summons to answer the tribunal's application, which has been adjourned until October 17th.

Arthur Beesley

Arthur Beesley

Arthur Beesley is Current Affairs Editor of The Irish Times