Paddy McKillen jnr seeks €5m for Booterstown luxury spa and interpretative centre site

Having secured planning permission in July of last year for the development of a luxurious wellness facility, spa and interpretative centre on the lands adjacent to Booterstown Marsh and bird sanctuary in south Dublin, developers Paddy McKillen jnr and Matt Ryan are seeking a buyer for the site. The sale of the 4.8-acre property is the latest in a number of proposed asset disposals by Mr McKillen jnr and his business partner and is being handled by joint agents Knight Frank and CBRE. The guide price for the Booterstown site is €5 million.
The scheme approved by An Bord Pleanála (Planning reference 4514/19 & D19A/0908) is a substantial one. It comprises a five-storey building rising to a height of 18.55 metres (61ft) and extending across a total area of 6,328sq m (68,114sq ft), and includes an interpretative centre, exercise studios, pools, a spa and ancillary restaurant.
In terms of layout, the top floor of the building – or Sky Level +02 as it is called – would accommodate a wellness centre and spa along with an outdoor pool, hydro facility, changing areas and toilets, and a publicly accessible restaurant. The outdoor pool complex is located overlooking the scheme’s central garden.
At first-floor level, or Horizon Level +01, the development would have a piano nobile overlooking the garden and Dublin Bay. This area would be mostly for use by members and would comprise changing rooms and shower areas for individuals and families, a large gym and warming-up area, and a pool complex with a children’s and adult pool opening out to a terrace with a hydro facility overlooking the bay.
The mezzanine level (+0M) would offer additional studio space and some additional toilets and an office space. The upper level and terrace of the interpretative centre would also be located at this level.
The ground-floor level (+00) of the building would consist of its main reception, back-up office, toilets, studios, a child-minding facility, cafe and plant areas.
The approved scheme also incorporates a detailed biodiversity plan. Included in this are a new coastal meadow flood plain, a coastal tree belt, coastal grass and a shrub garden, a mown grass area to facilitate a new bird hide, small bee boxes, swift boxes and sand martin boxes. The plan also provides for the retention of existing scrub, natural grassland and wildflower areas.
The northern section of the site (approximately 2.8 acres) falls within the Dublin City Development Plan 2022- 2028 while the southern section (approximately 2 acres) falls within the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown (DLR) County Development Plan 2022-2028. The majority of the lands within the Dublin city plan are zoned Objective Z9 – Amenity/Open Space Lands/Green Network, the purpose of which is “to preserve, provide and improve recreational amenity, open space and ecosystem services”. The element within the DLR plan is zoned Objective F, the purpose of which is “to preserve and provide for open space with ancillary active recreational amenities”. Under this plan, this section of the site is also designated as a proposed Natural Heritage Area (pNHA).
Finín O’Driscoll of Knight Frank and Darragh Deasy of CBRE say they expect to see strong interest in the Booterstown site from a range of parties, including those already active in the wellness sector and in the wider leisure industry. Further information on the property can be obtained from the joint selling agents, and registrations for the data room for the sale can be made at merrion-road.com