Egan seeks permission for stonework on wall

Former Westlife member Kian Egan and wife Jodi Albert are still seeking privacy at their home in Strandhill, outside Sligo.

They were ordered to remove a metre-high wooden fence from atop the stone boundary wall by Sligo County Council earlier this year. However, they have now applied to add more stone to the wall top when they remove the fencing.

The Voice of Ireland judge and former Hollyoaks star Jodi have told the council the wall will be the same height as the pillars at the gate. That means removing the wood and adding stone- work to create a level top instead of the step design of the fence.

They say the most they will be adding to the wall at its outer edges is another 70cm of stone.

A decision from the council on the new plan is expected in mid-October.

The couple erected the wooden fence for a temporary period of two years, in order to facilitate privacy until existing landscaping and foliage matures.

However, in February the council refused permission to retain the fence. A planner said the site is located in a rural setting between a designated scenic route and Knocknarea Mountain.

It was a sensitive rural landscape and a visually vulnerable area in the Sligo County Development plan.

The couple were told the fence would detract from views and be “seriously injurious to the visual amenities of the area”.