Kerry County Council has again shot down an application to retain apartments on the site of Edenburn House.
Edenburn House was built in 1760, and over the years served as a TB sanatorium and as a convalescent hospital and home for the elderly.
Mid Kerry Properties Limited has again been refused retention permission to change the use of the property from convalescent home and hospital to 21 apartments.
Kerry County Council previously refused a retention application by Mid Kerry Properties Limited to retain the change of use from existing convalescent home and hospital to 21 apartments, back in April 2025.
Last August, the owners told Radio Kerry that they were not aware of any planning breaches on their part, after locals flagged that rooms in the property were being advertised for short-term letting online.
The owners said the main house is a separate structure and had not been included in any planning application.
In December, Mid Kerry Properties Limited again applied for retention permission to retain the change of use from convalescent home and hospital to 21 apartments.
In a letter to the council, agents Brendan O’Connell & Associates said the property would not be subdivided, and would be kept as one integral unit for private letting.
The application received over a dozen submissions from the public, with concerns raised over the scale of the development considering the local road infrastructure, as well as a flood risk.
Kerry County Council has now again refused permission for the company to retain the change of use, citing six reasons.
The council said it cannot be satisfied a high-quality residential development is proposed due to a lack of information submitted by the company.
It also said there would be a risk of environmental pollution from the wastewater treatment system, and noted a risk of flooding for nearby properties.
The council further added there was no road safety audit submitted, so it could not determine if the development would endanger public safety by traffic hazard.
