Carmelite Nuns Sold Their Convent Land for €15 Million. Neighbours Went to Court to Stop 232 Homes, and Mostly Lost

• Carmelite nuns sold 6.2 hectares in Delgany, Co Wicklow, for €15 million in 2019
• Developer Drumakilla Limited won permission for 232 homes in 2021
• Ten local residents challenged the permission in the High Court
• The judge rejected most grounds but kept a construction freeze over a bat licence

When an order of Carmelite nuns sold their convent grounds in Delgany, Co Wicklow, for €15 million in 2019, it set in motion a major housing scheme. The Irish Times reported in July 2023 that the High Court had rejected most of a legal challenge brought by local residents against permission for 232 homes on the 6.2-hectare site.

The developer, Drumakilla Limited, won approval from An Bord Pleanála in February 2021 for 96 houses and 136 apartments, including two four-storey apartment blocks and five three-storey duplex blocks. The protected monastery building is to be retained, with public open space.

Ten local residents sought a judicial review, naming An Bord Pleanála, the Minister for Housing, the Attorney General and Ireland as respondents. Mr Justice Richard Humphreys rejected a series of their arguments, including on traffic assessments. On their claims about zoning density, he said the argument “misunderstands the concept of a zoning provision.”

The judge deferred a decision on a related wildlife licence covering bats, allowing further submissions, and kept a freeze on construction in place pending further order of the court.

The case shows the long road between a religious order selling land and homes being built. The sale gave the nuns capital, but the scheme then faced planning review and years of litigation. For communities, it raised familiar tensions between the need for housing and concerns about density, traffic and nature.

Religious orders in Jamaica also hold significant land, some of it in areas now in demand for housing. The Delgany case suggests that orders and churches considering a sale should expect scrutiny, plan carefully for heritage and environmental issues, and understand that the buyer’s plans may take years to become homes. Diaspora Jamaicans who follow church property decisions at home will recognise the balance between stewardship and public need.

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