Kildare County Council signs contract for the purchase of Donaghcumper House & Lands

Kildare County Council is delighted to announce that the Council has signed a contract for the purchase of Donaghcumper House in Celbridge, County Kildare along with approx. 26.3 hectares of adjoining lands. 

Kildare County Council currently owns 12.33 hectares of land on the south side of the River Liffey adjoining the Donaghcumper landholding.  The purchase of these additional lands at Donaghcumper will re-unite the landholding into the Council’s ownership.  It is also part of a longer-term vision to establish the River Liffey Amenity Park and corridor and it is a step towards the County Development Plan objective to protect the special landscape character associated with the historic country estates and houses of Castletown, Donaghcumper and St. Wolstans. 

Sonya Kavanagh, Chief Executive, Kildare County Council, said: “We’re delighted to announce the signing of the contract for the purchase of Donaghcumper House along with adjoining lands. This allows us to progress ambitious plans for the development of amenities in the area. We look forward to consulting with the public and stakeholders throughout the process to bring it to fruition.” 

In due course, and following the expected close of sale, Kildare County Council will prepare a masterplan for the Donaghcumper lands in consultation with the public and local stakeholders.  It is expected that the lands could accommodate a new public parkland with potential opportunities for sports, recreation, amenity, biodiversity initiatives together with some community and mixed uses.

Cllr Joe Neville, Cathaoirleach of the County of Kildare, said: “On behalf of the elected members of Kildare County Council, we’re delighted to welcome the purchase of Donaghcumper House and adjoining lands by Kildare County Council.  Throughout my time as a Councillor to date, a significant frustration of mine and of the communities in the Celbridge area has been a lack of publicly owned land used for community spaces for young people and families.  The purchase of the Donaghcumper Estate provides us with a unique opportunity to provide facilities that will be enjoyed by communities in Celbridge and the surrounding areas for generations to come.

Cllr Bernard Caldwell, Cathaoirleach of the Celbridge Leixlip Municipal District, said: “This is a very welcome development for Celbridge and the wider county of Kildare.  We now look forward to seeing the project progress to public consultation, so that the views of the local community and stakeholders inform the future plans for this important community space.”