The future of a 21-acre site overlooking the idyllic Magheramore Beach near Brittas Bay in Co Wicklow has become the subject of intense speculation following its sale at auction last Thursday.
The Irish Times has learned that the clifftop lands have been acquired by an as-yet unidentified Chinese investor. The individual, who is understood to be based in Ireland, paid €613,000 to secure ownership of the property, in the face of competing bids from two other parties. While the figure represented an 11 per cent premium on the €550,000 which had been guided by online auction specialist BidX1, it was well below the €700,000 the site’s outgoing owner, Paddy McKillen jnr’s Oakmount, paid for the lands in 2021. The amount represented a multiple of the €210,000 the property had been seeking on that occasion.
Following its acquisition of the property, Creatively Pacific Ltd, a subsidiary of McKillen’s Oakmount, sought permission for the development of what it described as an integrated tourism/leisure, recreational (ITLR) complex along with 48 accommodation pods and a surf school facility on a 2.95-hectare (7.329-acre) portion of the 8.53-hectare (21.07-acre) site.
The plan was rejected by Wicklow County Council in May 2023. A subsequent appeal of the council’s decision to An Bord Pleanála was refused on January 29th.
Owned originally by the Columban order of sisters before its original sale back in the 1980s, and several sales since, the land serves as the route to Magheramore Beach, a cove beloved by surfers and the setting for numerous TV productions including historical dramas such as Vikings and Camelot, the EastEnders spin-off series Redwater, and Amy Huberman’s Finding Joy.
In recent years the popular beach between Blainroe and Brittas Bay has served as the location for the annual “Strip & Dip”, which sees a hardy band of swimmers take to the waves to raise funds for cancer research. This year’s event takes place on June 7th.
The cove is also a hotspot for water sports, and is widely considered the best location for surfing on Ireland’s east coast.
