This article is from page 52 of the 2005-11-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 52 JPG
AT a consultation meeting held at stately Carnelly House last Thursday, Ray Kelliher, Managing Director of Dublin-based developers Master Group, outlined his company’s €50m proposal for the development of Ire- land’s first retirement village, on the 75 acre grounds of Carnelly House, just outside Clarecastle.
The planning application to develop the village, replete with 120 houses of various sizes, 35 apartments and a 64 bed retirement home, will be lodged
imminently with Clare County Coun- cil. Plans include the restoration of the existing, stunning Georgian prop- erty, as well as the build of additional accommodation. The ambition is to house 300 residents within the ‘vil- lage’. If planning is granted by early 2006, Master Group will have the vil- lage up and running in 2007, with the creation of 100 jobs.
The retirement village will include facilities such as a leisure centre with 12 metre pool and a specially equipped gym. The restored mid- 18th century Carnelly House, which was designed
by the Irish Palladian architect, Francis Bindon, will be used as a country club for the enjoyment of village residents with library, meeting rooms, snooker rooms, card rooms and other facilities, while a club bar and restaurant will be sited in the restored stables.
Ray Kelliher, Managing Director of Master Group, said, “the retirement vil- lage concept has long been established in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia and more recently in the UK. “The proposal at Carnelly envisages houses and apart- ments in a mature wooded setting, us-
ing the main house and courtyard as the pivotal hub”.
Kelliher further stated, ““our ethos will be governed by the safety, comfort, dignity and medical welfare of all our residents. This retirement village will be operated to the highest standards with 24-hour nurse on call, alarms fit- ted to each home, on-site cardiac am- bulance and 24-hour security”.
Carnelly House, the former home of the late Dermot and Rosemary Glee- son was snapped up by Master Group, when it went on the market earlier this year, after a nation-wide trawl seeking
an ideal location for this innovative project.
“Carnelly Hall the perfect location for a retirement village. It’s close to hospital facilities at Ennis and Limer- ick, to provide the necessary back-up, to the on site medical support facilities and it is easily accessed from Shannon Airport, Ennis, Limerick and Galway. The grounds are spacious and mature with woodlands and walkways, pro- viding a tranquil setting for a relaxed and healthy lifestyle for your future residents”.