Estate's buyer a major house builder

Manor Park Homebuilders Ltd, the company that has acquired the Abbeville estate and Abbeville House, is 51 per cent controlled…

Manor Park Homebuilders Ltd, the company that has acquired the Abbeville estate and Abbeville House, is 51 per cent controlled by the businessman Mr Joe Moran, who is also the group's chairman.

The remaining 49 per cent stake is owned by DCC, a company listed on the Irish stock exchange.

Listed among Manor Park's directors are the group's chief executive Mr Michael O'Driscoll, Mr Jim Flavin and Mr Gerard Whyte.

Mr Flavin founded DCC in 1976 and is its chief executive and deputy chairman. DCC is a business support services group operating mainly in Britain and Ireland.

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It employs more than 3,500 people and specialises in sales, marketing and distribution in the energy, IT, healthcare and food markets.

Mr Moran is chief executive of IFG, a financial services company, and non-executive chairman of IWP, which manufactures household goods and personal care products.

Manor Park is a major player in the residential construction market and is currently building several large housing schemes around the Republic. It is one of the leading starter-homes builders in Ireland.

While Manor Park has plans to build several thousand homes on the Abbeville site, such a project would require having the land rezoned. At present, Abbeville is zoned for leisure purposes so the company will have to seek residential zoning from Fingal County Council for its mooted development.

Abbeville, a mansion designed by James Gandon, enjoys listed status which means it cannot be demolished or radically altered.

The fifth of six children, Mr Moran was born in Brosna in Co Kerry.

His father was a manager at nearby Mount Collins Creamery in Co Limerick and his mother was a national-school teacher.

Conor Lally

Conor Lally

Conor Lally is Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times