Businessman Denis O'Brien has been granted permission by Kilkenny County Council to retain changes he made to a luxury holiday home on the grounds of the Mount Juliet Estate near Thomastown.
In June, it emerged that the 7,000 sq ft (658 sq m) house was in breach of the terms of its planning permission when Mr O'Brien appealed for retention of unauthorised additions and changes made during construction. These include a 1,044 sq ft (97 sq m) basement, a guest apartment and changes to the design of the roof and the windows.
Cllr Michael O'Brien (Labour), who grew up in a labourer's cottage on the Mount Juliet Estate, expressed surprise at the decision and said "the whole planning process is a joke".
Cllr O'Brien, who represents the Thomastown area on Kilkenny County Council, said "many local people have great difficulty getting planning permission" and he could not understand "how applications from people with addresses in places as far away as Texas or the Algarve could succeed".
The retention permission is subject to six conditions, including a clause that the guest apartment "shall not be leased, sub-let or sold independently of the main dwelling unit".
Mr O'Brien must also pay a further development charge of €7,301 to Kilkenny County Council in addition to the €31,934 he has paid for the original planning permission.
A local estate agent estimated the value of the house to be in the "region of €7 million".
The house is close to the 18th tee of a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course in an exclusive development designed by Dublin architects de Blacam and Meagher, who declined to comment.
Kilkenny County Council received no objections to the planning retention application.
In 1987, the Mount Juliet estate was bought by Killeen Investments, an Irish company. It has developed about 90 private houses on the grounds and sold a number of sites.
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