Bid to turn Castlehyde Hotel into care centre for special needs kids
The charity has lodged an application with Cork County Council to convert the hotel, which has been closed since 2005, into a day care centre for special needs children.
The planning application lodged with the authority makes provision for conversion of nine existing bedrooms, the hotel foyer and entrance into a day care facility for special needs children.
The hotel, situated a stones throw from Flatley?s spectacular Castlehyde House mansion, closed down suddenly in February 2005 after it emerged that the hotel was running at a loss.
More than 30 staff at the hotel lost their jobs following the sudden closure of the hotel following an internal audit by Flatley?s London based accounting firm.
At the time staff were told that they were being given a seven-day holiday and that they should return to work the following week. However, several days later staff were told that he hotel would be closing down with immediate effect.
The story of Flatley's involvement with Castlehyde Hotel is complex, and goes back to 1997, when a Dutch couple, Helen and Eric Speekenbrink, first came up with the idea of turning the premises into a exclusive hotel. They approached some local business people seeking finance for the project and a 17-member consortium, The Castlehyde Partnership, was established.
However, in 2000 the relationship between the Speekenbrinks and The Castlehyde Partnership turned sour as the hotel was running at a loss and had racked up considerable debts; leading to a legal wrangle.
In 2002, Michael Flatley approached to the original investors, and took control of the hotel with a view to buying it outright in November 2005.
Contractors who worked on the ?23 million renovation of his nearby mansion stayed at the hotel, while the best room in the establishment was left vacant for Flatley himself.
Flatley wanted to turn the hotel into a hot-spot for weddings, and he decided to erect a custom-built marquee on the lawn. Between the tent, a car park and various other fittings, he allegedly invested about ?400,000 in the marquee project alone.
Despite continuing losses, the hotel continued to trade and held a number of weddings. However, the axe finally fell in early 2005.
Since then the property has lain idle, although it is understood that it has been maintained both internally and externally. In 2006, the premises was gifted under trust to the Brothers of Charity by the principal investors under the auspices of a new company, The Castlehyde Trust.
When contacted by The Corkman, a spokeswoman for the Brothers of Charity declined to comment on the application or indicate a timescale for the proposed transformation of the former hotel.
