A CONTROVERSIAL site in Ballybunion, where there were plans in the past to build a €25m hotel development, fetched €200,000 at an auction today  in the RDS Dublin.

The 2.45 acre site opposite Ozone Terrace, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was once the location of The Castle Hotel and is situated in the town centre about one kilometre from the famous golf course. It went under the hammer at the Allsop Auction today.

The property had a reserve of between €125,000-€175,000. It is not known who has bought the site.

The site was earmarked for a major €25m hotel development by San Jose businessman, Tom McEnery, in the mid-2000s. A group calling itself the Castlegreen Conservation Group lodged their objection to the planning application back in 2005.

Many locals were outraged at the objections and staged a protest in support of Mr McEnery’s project. The project was granted planning permission with revised conditions in November of 2005 by An Bord Pleanala, but Mr McEnery subsequently sold on the property and it has lain idle over the years.

The description on the Allsop website states “the property still has planning to construct a 71 no. suite hotel with eight number aparthotel units in a two-storey building with additional dormer accommodation to main street, three-storey with additional accommodation overlooking car park and three-storey over basement with additional dormer accommodation to beach front. Development contains bar, restaurant, one retail space, meeting room, leisure facility, temporary seasonal tea rooms structure, steps to beach and associated hotel infrastructure, 75 car parking spaces and associated landscaping at site of former Castle Hotel.

The expiry date on the planning permission is October 21, 2015.