ALMOST a year has passed since Portlaw’s Mayfield House was sold at auction for €300,000, yet Waterford City and County Council is still awaiting a planning application for a five-star boutique destination hotel. 

During last week’s Comeragh District meeting, Cllr Declan Clune (Ind) asked if a planning application had been submitted for Mayfield House, saying everyone is excited about the potential for the five-star luxury hotel for the area. 

Last April, Mayfield House was sold to what was then described as one of Ireland’s largest hospitality companies, with a view to turning it into a five-star hotel and leisure centre. 

The former country manor house, which dates from the 1740s, was sold via online auction through joint selling agents Brophy Cusack and BidX1 Ireland, with a guide price of €300,000. 

It was later confirmed that the historic building, once the family home of the famed Malcolmson family, was bought by Oakmount. 

The group intend to turn the building, which stood vacant for over three decades, into a boutique destination hotel, which will be operated by the Press Up Hospitality Group. 

Aisling O’Sullivan, Senior Executive Planner, confirmed that the Council does not have an active planning application for the Mayfield House site as of yet. When asked has there been any dialogue between the Council and the new owners, Ms O’Sullivan said that the Council is precluded from discussing any pre-planning that goes before an application. 

On a six-acre site, Mayfield House was originally built in 1740 and underwent significant improvement by famous Irish architect William Tinsley in the 1830s, giving the “distinguished Italian style that can still be seen today.” 

Various other buildings, including a derelict lodge at the main gates, a coach house at the back of the house with coach yard, a collapsed orangery, and a number of other collapsed structures remain on the estate grounds, which neighbours Curraghmore Estate.