The house where Ana Kriégel was murdered in west Dublin has been sold for €4 million to a company which plans to build a luxury nursing home on the site.
Two teenagers, known as Boy A and Boy B, were convicted in June 2019 of the murder of the 14-year-old girl at Glenwood House in Lucan in May 2018.
The derelict listed property, sitting on more than 100 acres of land, has now been bought by Priory CCL Limited, a company set up in late 2021, that has close ties to the Care Concern Group, a major British operator of nursing homes.
Although the sale price is listed on the property price register at €1 million, a spokeswoman for the new purchaser said the price had been €4 million.
She said their plan was to build a “best-in-class nursing and dementia home” on the site, which is located on the Clonee Road near Lucan in Dublin.
Asked what the timeline for the development was, the spokeswoman said they were currently in the tender phase for the construction of the new facility.
She said they expected a 24-month build schedule once the contract was awarded.
The purchase price of €4 million is significantly below the €10.5 million that was reported to have been paid for the site by its previous owners in 2003.
News of the development will be widely welcomed in the local community as the site had become a target for antisocial behaviour with Fingal County Council raising concerns over rough sleepers and that it would be used to find material for bonfires.
[ Ana Kriégel murder trial: The complete storyOpens in new window ]
Since its purchase in late 2021, considerable efforts have been made to ensure the site is secure ahead of redevelopment, according to records released under Freedom of Information by Fingal County Council.
An internal local authority email from March 2022 said: “Site tidy up works and site security system installation works were evident.”
Another message the following month said the new owners had since been in contact to say they were not yet ready to start development but that a comprehensive security system was being installed.
The site will be forever linked to the murder of 14-year-old Ana Kriégel, who was lured to the property by two boys.
Boy A and Boy B were convicted of her murder with Boy A sentenced to life imprisonment and Boy B given a 15-year sentence.
[ Ana Kriégel murder: What drove two teenage boys to murder a 14-year-old girl?Opens in new window ]
Both boys were to be held at Oberstown Detention Centre until they turned 18, at which point they were to be transferred to an adult prison.