PLANS BY dancer Michael Flatley to build a "modest cottage" on Rossmore Island in Kenmare Bay, near Sneem in Co Kerry, have been refused by Kerry County Council, according to planning sources.
The cottage was to be a second home after much larger plans for a permanent home would not be considered by the council.
The official result will not be posted until tomorrow. Flatley's planning consultants have been made aware of the result, though not officially. Aan appeal to An Bord Pleanála is thought likely.
Planners have recommended refusal on a number of grounds, including the size of the house and its impact on visual amenities of the area. They also maintained it would contravene the county development plan.
The 9,100 sq ft dwelling was to be set on 56 acres on the eastern tip of the island, which is connected by bridge to the mainland.
It involved the demolition of an existing farmhouse and the incorporation of farm buildings into the design.
The L-shaped structure, designed by a Geneva-based architect, included guest and staff quarters as well as substantial family quarters, courtyard and fountain along with garages.
The application had represented a compromise proposal after senior planners at a pre-planning meeting refused to consider a Palladian mansion of 70,000 sq ft for the sensitive site alongside an important special area of conservation governing the whole of the drowned glacial valley that is Kenmare Bay.
Both the Department of the Environment and An Taisce as well as a third party had made submissions.