Further detail submitted on Portlick Castle plans
Plans by a US-based couple to covert the 12th century Portlick Castle in Glasson into a small venue for weddings and other functions have taken a step forward with the lodging of further information on the project with Westmeath County Council.
The historic castle on the shores of Lough Ree was in the ownership of Australian businessman, art collector and poet, Luke Whitington for more than 30 years before being sold to new owners, California-based Vincent Cullinan and his wife, Bonnie, in 2021.
The Cullinans sought planning permission from Westmeath County Council in May of last year for a formal change of use of the previously converted private residence into a guest house/function venue, with 12 existing en-suite bedrooms within the castle and coach house, commercial kitchen, dining room, breakfast room, bar and lounge, toilets, stores and associated site works.
Retention permission was also sought for extensive essential repairs which have been carried out to the tower roof and other parts of the building, including the removal of all internal concrete floors (at ground floor level and first floor level in Great Hall) and replacement with limecrete floors and underfloor heating systems as well as repair and replacement of existing timber windows; and the removal of damaged and rotten internal wall dry lining systems and their replacement.
Refurbishment works to the existing roads, car parking areas, fences, boundaries and landscaping also formed part of the original planning application.
While Westmeath County Council welcomed "in principle" the proposal to convert the castle into a wedding venue, it sought further information on ten aspects of the plan, including a failure by the applicants to seek retention permission for a change of use from coach house to residential/guesthouse and the change of use of the castle from private residential use to guesthouse.
Further information was also sought from the local authority in relation to wastewater management/treatment;ecology; heritage; architectural conservation; archaeological investigations and fire risk assessment.
A large portfolio of documentation on behalf of the castle's owners was recently submitted to Westmeath County Council planners on foot of the further information request, including a copy of the revised site layout drawings by Athlone-based MMA Architects, who are leading the restoration project; a construction management plan; parking plan; archaeological report; preliminary fire risk assessment and reports addressing concerns in relation to heritage, ecology and wastewater management/treatment.
The fire risk assessment report consists of a revised architectural layout confirming the provision of a fire-protected stairwell serving upper levels of the castle and connecting to an existing stone stairs providing final exit to ground level.
The report concludes that the proposals included in the revised architecural layout “significantly improve life safety” within the castle by establishing a “clear, protected and continuous means of escape from all accommodation levels”.
In relation to wastewater management treatment, a report and photographs submitted by Athlone-based consulting engineering firm, Malachi Cullen, states that the existing Wasterwater Treatment Tank and System installed at Portlick Castle has a design capacity for a population equivalent of 50 – made up of 14 bedrooms with two people per room, and two function rooms with a maximum capacity of 80 people.
The detailed breakdown of the capacity of the water treatment plant, which has been in place since the 1990s, is contained in a letter to the current owners by Eamon Durkin from the Mayo-based EPS Group, which installed the system.
Westmeath County Council has now said it deems the new information provided to be significant further information, and has instructed the applicants to publicise the submission of the revised plans, which would allow further public submissions on the proposals.
Prior to being purchased by Vincent and Bonnie Cullinana, Portlick Castle, which is a protected structure, was unsuccessfully placed on the market on a number of occasions over recent decades.
The building was re-advertised again in 2019 by Stan Bradbury of Custume Property in Athlone with an asking price tag of €1.4 million.
The Cullinans signalled their intention of making the property available to the public in a 2023 inteview in which they said they planned on making it available for weddings, short stays, and local charitable events.