Guinness Estate up for sale

Alun

It looks like Garech Browne has put the Luggala Estate up for sale.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/new-to-market/guinness-ancestral-home-in-wicklow-goes-on-sale-for-28m-1.2951245

It's unclear how much of the surrounding land the actual sale includes, but depending on who buys it it could make access to Luggala from the Pier Gates problematic in the future.

Fiskar

Oh Deer

Fiskar

I see another Lissadel house court case if there are access issues

Pat Mustard

The State bought Farmleigh from the Guinness family and they should offer to buy Luggala now, as well.

cloudatlas

Gareth Browne wants the person who buys it to allow him to stay there for three months of the year... is that slightly trolling considering the asking price!

Alun

http://www.mountaineering.ie/aboutus/news/2017/?id=74

Halloween Jack

Whip round lads?

recedite

IT journalist makes a case for the state to purchase it.

All of which begs the question: should the Government be making an offer? There are other demands for the State’s money, including the homelessness crisis, but this is a unique property, with a unique history. It might well be considered priceless.

€28M is not that much in exchequer terms.


But in pure economic terms, I wonder has anyone done the maths? For example, what kind of indirect revenue does Glendalough bring into this country every year?
That particular attraction is unrivalled, but it is also at saturation point. Even in winter it gets pretty crowded now. In summer, the congestion there has reached the point where some people are coming away with a bad experience because of it.


Luggala would have the potential to provide a second alternative destination, maybe not quite as good, but closer to Dublin. It lacks a round tower, but the scenery at Luggala is just as spectacular, and there is a walking route that could rival the ever popular Spinc route at Glendalough. That is, down through the estate to the lake, cross the river (at a potential new footbridge) and back up the Archers Road on the far side of the stream. There is even a little house down at the lakeside mid-point of the route there, that could be franchised out as a coffee shop/cafe/craft shop.



In terms of direct revenue, the house could still be let out as before, and the grounds could still be used as a film set (eg the Vikings series and some movies have been partly shot there)

dogmatix

I'd agree with Recedite above - buy it and add the land to the growing wicklow national park. The immediate area around the house and down to lough Tay could be open to the public (for a fee) except when the house and lands are being rented out (limit the rental periods to 4-6 weeks?).

The whole area between Tay and Dan offers walking to rival Glendalough. Could be a wise decision, like the recent purchase of the lands near Bohernabreena.

Mind you people will say you could build a lot of social housing for 28 million, but this can be justified as an investment for the future for the state.

Alun

Alternatively, the house itself and the immediate area around it could be sold as a separate lot to the rest of the estate which might make it more affordable to the state to buy. There would have to be a clause inserted into the purchase of the house to ensure continued access to the rest of the estate.

recedite

Alun wrote: »

Alternatively, the house itself and the immediate area around it could be sold as a separate lot to the rest of the estate which might make it more affordable to the state to buy.

Its a possibility, but I'm not really a fan of separating a historic house from its demesne. Both lose something in the process.
€28M is really not a lot for the state to invest in something that can help bring ongoing tourist revenue into the country, and could be further developed (sensitively) as a valuable amenity close to the capital city.

[modedit - snipped agenda pushing quote]

Orion

recedite: The part of your post I left unsnipped is fine. The part I snipped is not. Your anti-refugee agenda is not an Outdoor Pursuits topic. In fact I'm not sure where on boards it would be welcome.

Alun

Is there a map anywhere that shows the exact boundaries of the Luggala estate?

Seanachai

As far as I'm aware there are graves (legal) on the site, any purchase would have to have provision for visitation rights at least, if not having separate access to them. I can't understand why the state does not jump on opportunities like this for tourism potential. Even the Viking Kattegat set alone would be a serious draw.

recedite

Luggala flogged for less than €28M.
Not bad for something that could rival Glendalough in tourism potential, with an ongoing revenue generating potential for the state.

Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow John Brady has said it is understood that Luggala was "acquired for considerably less than the €28m asking price".
He said the minister with responsibility, Josepha Madigan, consistently told him that the State would only purchase the estate if the price fell into a certain range.
"It appears now that the minister sat on her hands and allowed a private purchaser to buy the estate for considerably less than the asking price", he said.
Today Ms Madigan expressed hope that the new owners would maintain the status quo.
In a statement, a spokesperson noted that the estate had allowed access to a hugely popular walking route down for many decades.
"The Department would hope that this close co-operation and access would continue under any new ownership arrangements."