Alterations to Sinead O'Connor's former Bray home get the green light

"Permission granted for extensions and façade changes in addition to a commemorative plaque at seafront Victorian property sold for €1.295m The seafront, Victorian-style home was put on the market by estate agents HJ Byrne in December 2024 with a guide price of €1.295m. A sale agreed sign was erected at the property, known as Montebello, in March 2025 with the Property Price Register confirming the sale closed on July 16, meeting the guide price."

"The move to put the property on the market came five months after An Coimisiún Pleanála dismissed planning permission to then owner, Rachel Carthy, to convert the property into five apartments. WCC first refused permission on the grounds that "it would be out of character with the streetscape and would intrude on views of the protected structures in the vicinity of the site". The council believed the development would "adversely affect the architectural character of the seafront area", and contravened objectives set out in the now expired Bray Municipal District Local Area Plan."

"The new application, lodged in the name of Jane Hughes and David Lynch on October 15 2025, proposed the removal of the non-original front porch of Montebello, and the provision of two new bay windows to the front. They also seek to remove the non-original rear conservatory and replace it with a single-storey sunroom extension. Permission was also sought for a single-storey side extension, a single-storey rear side extension and the removal of the existing rear garden room. The planning section of the council were also asked to consider allowing the installation of a commemorative plaque for the late musician to the front boundary wall of the property. There are no specific design details or conditions about the plaque in the planner's final report, only that it is included in the overall permission granted. There have been calls for a memorial plaque at the home of the late star ever since her passing in Jul"

Montebello, a seafront Victorian-style home, was marketed in December 2024 with a guide price of €1.295m and sold at that price with the sale closing on July 16, 2025. A prior application to convert the home into five apartments was dismissed after WCC refused permission and An Coimisiún Pleanála upheld that decision, citing harm to streetscape character, intrusion on views of protected structures, and contravention of local plan objectives. A later application by Jane Hughes and David Lynch sought removal of non-original porch and conservatory, new bay windows, single-storey extensions, garden-room removal and a commemorative plaque, which was included in the granted permission.

Read at Irish Independent