AN environmental group is threatening High Court action if Mr Lowry is allowed to retain extensions and alterations to his home at Holycross.
Tipperary County Council granted Mr Lowry permission to retain the extensions last April, following an application he made after the work had been carried out.
However, Lanceforth Ltd, a company based in Dublin, has appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala. It says the permission should not have been granted for what it describes as an important rectory.
Lanceforth, which was set up by a group of conservationists to campaign on planning issues, is currently in dispute with the developers of the proposed Hilton Hotel in Westmoreland Street, Dublin. It has sought a judicial review of the Bord Pleanala permission for that scheme.
Lanceforth says the Lowry extension is so large that it deprives the building of its original architectural integrity and charm. "Resources on this scale should be devoted to the restoration of important historic buildings like Crannagh Castle, rather than the doubling in size of Holycross House," it says.
Lanceforth says the correct way of dealing with breaches of the Planning Act is to seek enforcement action under planning legislation. This would entail the county council's serving a notice requiring Mr Lowry to remove the unauthorised development.
Lanceforth has urged the board to seek clarification from the High Court about the legality of granting planning permission rather than seeking enforcement action. It has also called on Tipperary County Council to initiate enforcement proceedings.
It warns that if the council fails to take such action, Lanceforth reserves the right to take such proceedings itself against the owners of Holycross.