Heated row over build plan at most expensive home

The mystery owners of Ireland’s most expensive house were the subject of a heated exchange at yesterday’s Bord Pleanála appeal hearing over plans to build homes on the site.

The Dublin house, bought by developer Sean Dunne and his wife, Gayle Killilea, for €58m in 2005, was sold for €14m last year to Cypriot-registered Yasreb Holding Ltd, whose owners remain secret.

Appellants against plans to renovate and extend the Edwardian house in Dublin 4 and build four homes on the site claim that Mr Dunne still has an interest in the house.

In March, Dublin City Council gave permission for much of the planned development at Walford, 24 Shrewsbury Rd, but restricted the number of new houses at the rear of the house to three.

Yasreb is appealing the restriction, while a number of residents are objecting to the entire planned development.

Mr Dunne recently admitted that he gave Ms Killilea €60m to buy Walford. In March 2012, the Property Price Register recorded the sale of the house for €14m.

Michael O’Donnell BL for the house’s nearest neighbour, Stephen MacKenzie and family, asked Des Twomey from Plus Architecture to identify the individual who told him to look at the site in July 2013.

Mr Twomey said it was the applicant, Yasreb Holding.

Diarmuid Ó Gráda, planning consultant for two other Shrewsbury residents, David McCann and Marion Dempsey, said Walford would become a cluttered and displaced housing development if the development went ahead.

The hearing has been adjourned until today.