Appeals have been lodged against a grant of permission for the proposed redevelopment of an old cinema in Co Kerry by Cillian Murphy and his artist wife, Yvonne McGuinness.
Kerry County Council last month approved the Dingle town centre project, which proposes retaining a cinema and creating exhibition areas and residential spaces for artists.
The old Phoenix cinema opened in 1919 but closed in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Murphy and McGuinness confirmed they had purchased the site in late 2024, with the Oscar-winning actor saying he attended the Phoenix during summer holidays when he was a boy.
“My dad saw movies there when he was a young man before me, and we’ve watched many films at the Phoenix with our own kids,” he said.
McGuinness added: “We want to open the doors again, expand the creative potential of the site, re-establishing its place in the cultural fabric of this unique town.”
Appeals have been lodged by three individuals against the grant of permission for the redevelopment by Dingle Phoenix Projects CLG.
An Coimisiún Pleanála has not yet published the appeal submissions, but each of the appellants made submissions when the local authority was considering the initial application.
Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness at the Irish Film & Television Academy Awards in February. Photograph: Alan Betson
Dr Conor Brosnan, a GP at Dingle Medical Centre, expressed concern at that stage about patients potentially experiencing even greater difficulty finding parking spaces due to the development.
He supported the cinema’s refurbishment but feared parking could become harder to find and more unsafe for patients, particularly those with impaired mobility or who feel unwell. He wanted the council to ensure new parking spaces would be provided for the artistic centre.
Michael Nelligan, who has also lodged an appeal, previously told the council the proposal was “too big and would have a significant devaluing negative effect on the enjoyment” of his family’s adjoining property.
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He said there would be a loss of light and the building would have a surrounding effect on his back garden. The overall scale is “not appropriate” and should be “significantly scaled back” to take account of his family’s right to light and back garden privacy, he contended.
In his objection to the council, the third appellant, Liam O’Keeffe, of Longford Street, Killorglin, said there seemed to be only two housing units for artists on the site.
“There should be housing on the site and not a gallery and performance space etc,” he wrote.
In a report, the council’s planning inspector said the proposal was not likely to impact significantly on nearby residential amenities, but the garden of one house would see a reduction in sunlight for some of the year.
An Coimisiún Pleanála is due to decide the appeal by the end of July.