Trespassing cattle removed from €4m Limerick land planned for Ryder Cup park and ride facility
Mayor John Moran struck a deal last September to purchase the 70 acres in Patrickswell through his mayoral funds for the council
TRESPASSING cattle have been moved off council land purchased for €4m through Mayor John Moran's mayoral funds, after negotiations with their owner, Limerick Live has learned.
The site is earmarked for a Ryder Cup park and ride scheme.
It is understood some 60 dry cows were removed from 70 acres of land at Attyflin, Patrickswell last week. A planning notice was also erected by Limerick City and County Council last week for a proposed temporary development consisting of the “provision of car and bus parking as part of a Park & Ride scheme associated with the Ryder Cup in 2027”.
Mayor John Moran struck a deal last September to purchase the prime land for €4m through his mayoral funds for the council.
Limerick Live has learned that there were cattle grazing on the 70 acres when it was sold last year. However, the cattle were vacated by their owner the week that contracts were signed.
It is believed that the following week, locks were broken and cattle were observed on the land. The cattle grazing on the land prior to the deal and following the sale were not belonging to the landowner.
There were only between 10 and 20 cattle on the land over the winter but in recent times the numbers have started to swell. It is thought that it had increased to around 60 Friesian dry cows.
It is believed that there were ongoing negotiations between the Council and the owner of the cattle who is not a local person.
Following a query from the Leader, a council spokesperson said late last week: “The cattle have been removed from the land following discussions between Limerick City and County Council and the owner.”
The planning notice for the park and ride scheme says that the temporary bus and car park will require new temporary vehicle accesses off the R526 and will also use existing accesses on the R526 and the Enterprise Centre access road.
“All installations associated with the Park & Ride facility are temporary and removable with the lands to be returned to existing within use within one month after completion of the Ryder Cup.”
Submissions must be made on or before 4pm on June 12.
The property on the edge of Patrickswell was sold last year for a figure in the region of €4m or around €57,000 per acre. It was the second time that the same landowners sold it for millions of euros.
The Leader revealed in 2013 that during the Celtic Tiger, 44 of the 70 acres were sold for €6m. It is understood that a nursing home and retirement village were planned for the land. Due to the economic crash this never materialised and it returned to agricultural land.
The 44 acres were put up for auction by GVM’s Tom Crosse in 2013. It is believed it was sold on the instructions of a receiver in a consensual sale in tandem with a bank.
It was bought back at auction by the same family for €455,000 - a gross profit of just under €5.5 million. The auction price worked out at €10,340 an acre - 13 times less than was paid during the boom. Then they sold it again last year for another huge profit.
Mayor Moran said the 70 acres will be used to build a whole new neighbourhood-led expansion of the village, which will soon have to be called Patrickswell “town”.
The mayor of Limerick said this could accommodate 1,000-1,500 new private and public homes for purchase and rent, as well as amenities for all of the village.