Stately pile can no longer hoover up tax break
A STATELY home, reported to have been snapped up by inventor James Dyson, is no longer on the list of heritage properties open to the public in return for a Government tax break.
The gardens of Ballynatray House estate in Co. Waterford had been granted the Section 482 tax break for ‘costs incurred by its repair, maintenance or restoration’. In return for tax relief on restoration costs and garden upkeep, owners granted the deal must allow the public access to the house and gardens.
To avail of the deal, the Revenue Commissioners say: ‘There must be reasonable public access to your approved building, garden, or object. Reasonable public access is determined by Revenue.’
But the Waterford house is no longer on the list, which means the public no longer has access to the property.
It comes after one recent visitor to the estate, before the tax break was removed, accused the owners of making a mockery of this break.
The visitor reported on the Irish Historic Houses website: ‘Ballynatray is another property, it turns out, that makes a mockery of Section 482 and visitors. We were told on the website to park “nearby” at Templemichael car park. It took us 45 minutes to walk to the garden! The house has an enormous demesne and it’s very stingy that the owners won’t let one park nearer the gardens.
‘Fortunately the sun had returned and we enjoyed the walk as well as the detour on the property to Molana Abbey ruin.’
Billionaire bagless vacuum cleaner inventor James Dyson, 76, has been linked with the purchase of Ballynatray House, an 850-acre estate on the CorkWaterford border.
The mansion was reported to have sold for €35million.
This would make it the second highest private house sale in Ireland after property developer Seán Dunne’s €59million purchase of Walford on Shrewsbury Road in Dublin 4 in 2005.
And it would be only the fourth change of ownership since the property was built in the early 17th century .
It last changed hands in 2004, when British property developer Henry GwynJones bought the then 400-acre estate for over €11million. However, no recent sale has been listed on the Property Price Register yet.
Mr Dyson and the house’s office were both contacted for comment.