Ghost estate to finally get facelift

An eyesore ghost estate in a Kerry village is gaining as much notoriety as its most infamous son, the Wild Colonial Boy

Fourteen houses were left unfinished in the deserted Annagh Banks development scheme on the edge of Castlemaine. The site remains a blemish on a key tourist route — as tens of thousands of visitors pass through the village on the Killarney-Dingle route.

Castlemaine is the reputed birthplace of Jack Duggan, the Wild Colonial Boy who died in a gunfight in Australia. The village has, in recent years, become just as well known for the unsightly scheme on the busy tourist route.

But an unnamed developer is now planning to give the site a facelift.

The new owner of the housing estate has agreed to a resolution plan for the abandoned scheme.

The property was sold at a firesale auction in July 2012 for €235,000, but was resold less than a year later for €120,000.

The future of the three-acre site had been raised by Fianna Fáil councillor Michael O’Shea, who was told Kerry County Council had recently met the new owner.

According to the council, a resolution plan had been agreed with the owner, who was anxious to get working on the estate. “We have been keen for some time to get movement on this and have met the developer who produced a site resolution plan which we are agreeable to,” said a spokesman.

“The current state of the site was unacceptable and we are hoping the plan will deal satisfactorily with the situation.”

The council has not revealed details of the plan or the identity of the developer but it is understood the developer intends to refurbish the estate rather than demolish the houses.

Four years ago, John Gormley, the then environment minister, used a photograph of Annagh Banks in a Green Party brochure as an example of everything that had gone wrong with the planning system during the boom.

Planning permission had previously been granted for a 12-bedroom hotel, nine apartments, a bar and restaurant, and two retail units at Annagh Banks.

The estate was abandoned shortly before the 2008 crash and locals have since been calling for action to clean up and complete the estate.

When the estate was initially launched, the asking price per house was €200,000.