New working group established for Castletown
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From: Office of Public Works
- Published on: 12 October 2023
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan, is pleased to announce that a new joint working group will be established to address concerns over access to Castletown. The decision followed a productive meeting on Tuesday, 10 October 2023, with community representatives from Celbridge, the Minister and Office of Public Works (OPW) officials. The community representatives included Save Castletown, Friends of Castletown, Celbridge Community Council and Castletown Residents Association.
In recent weeks, it has not been possible:
- to collect refuse from the site
- to repair the heating system
- to repair the visitor toilets
- have any other maintenance work completed
This situation is unacceptable for staff to operate within. The Health, Welfare and Safety at Work Act requires the OPW as an employer to operate a safe working environment. It will not be possible to continue to welcome visitors to Castletown House and Estate if this situation does not change.
To resolve this, Minister O’Donovan has proposed the establishment of a working group which was agreed by all present at Tuesday’s meeting. The new working group will include the OPW, Kildare County Council, An Garda Síochána, local community representatives, and elected representatives, and will have an agreed terms of reference and an independent chair. The working group, which will be established within the next two weeks, will work to progress the reuniting of the historic demesne and access issues to Castletown House and Estate.
Minister O’Donovan said:
“The meeting with community representatives about the depth of feeling on the impact of the change of access to Castletown House and Estate was very useful. I got a real understanding from their perspective of the issues, and how access to Castletown also impacts on neighbouring communities.
“I was able to explain how the OPW team need vehicular access to Castletown to protect, conserve and maintain this wonderful house and estate. The team recently won another International Green Flag award and continue to enhance the vibrant cultural programme for the Estate. I am very proud of their excellent work, including their maintenance of museum accreditation over many years, as well as the fantastic guided tours and educational tours for children.
“In order to save Castletown, the OPW must safeguard Castletown urgently and this means allowing staff and contractors to access the site via Lime Avenue. The OPW continues to explore all options around reuniting the historic demesne and restoring access from the M4 and remains committed to exploring all options. We will continue to work with key stakeholders within the wider government, local government, state agencies and the landowner.
“In the interim, I’m very grateful to the community for the progress we have made, and my officials will work with them over the coming days to ensure OPW staff, essential suppliers and contractors can access Castletown using Lime Avenue. I appreciate the willingness of the committees of the various groups to work with us on this. It has long been the policy of the OPW to seek to reunite the historic Castletown Estate. Access will be kept under review through the newly established working group. I am satisfied that we can all work together to ensure that everyone can enjoy this wonderful place. I have visited Castletown House and Estate many times and hope to do so again in the near future.”
For more information please contact pressoffice@opw.ie
Notes
On 13 September 2023, it was agreed with the concerned locals that the OPW will not proceed with plans to install a temporary car park inside the Celbridge Gate.
The OPW has been managing Castletown House since the property and some immediately adjacent lands were donated to the State in 1994. Since then, the OPW has significantly invested into the conservation, restoration and cultural and recreational amenities at this important heritage site. Over time, the OPW has also acquired additional lands that formed part of the original estate, where they became available, to reunite the historic demesne. The OPW wishes to continue acquiring suitable lands where possible.
Castletown is one of the OPW’s most visited heritage sites in Ireland. The popularity of Castletown can be attributed to the beautifully restored parklands, gardens, wildflower meadows, river and forest walks in a unique historical and architectural setting, as well as the varied programme of events on site, and close proximity and connectivity to the capital and neighbouring towns.
The Celbridge Gate is the historic entrance to the house and estate and has been in use since the eighteenth century. This entrance was used for all vehicular visitor access for 7 years after the State acquired Castletown and before the State entered into a license agreement with the previous landowner on the M4 side. The Celbridge Gate is used by OPW staff and the local authority as well as for deliveries and work vehicles.
On the matter of a compulsory purchase order, both the OPW and the local authority are seeking legal advice on this matter. It is important to note that the process can take a considerable amount of time. A CPO process is legally complex and it can be particularly challenging to satisfy the conditions that the compulsory purchase of the property is necessary for the common good.