Tech Tycoon In Dispute Over Unauthorised Works On Historic €3M Straffan Lodge

Tuesday, 27 May 2025 09:52

By Martin Osborne

Mr Roden’s company, Heytesbury Investments, was granted permission to add features like a pool and gym - but neighbours allege further works were done without approval, prompting legal action.

A planning row involving tech entrepreneur Mark Roden has escalated, as he appeals Kildare County Council’s refusal to grant retention for unauthorised works on his €3 million property, Straffan Lodge.

The Georgian mansion, once home to artist Francis Bacon, is a protected structure set on 34 acres of land.

Mr Roden’s company, Heytesbury Investments, was granted permission to add features like a pool and gym - but neighbours allege further works were done without approval, prompting legal action.

The council said the changes had "negatively impacted the protected structure of Straffan Lodge" and refused permission to retain features like a treehouse, service road, and a "ha-ha" wall.

Mr Roden, according to the Irish Independent, is now appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanála.

Meanwhile, Mr Roden, who founded mobile top-up company Ding, is also locked in another planning dispute, having successfully challenged a decision to allow a nearby housing development at Glebe House on Straffan Road.

He took legal action after An Bord Pleanála approved a 19-unit residential project he had opposed.

The original decision has since been quashed, and the case is now being reconsidered.

Glebe House is a protected structure, and Mr Roden raised concerns about the development’s impact on traffic and biodiversity.

The project, originally for 22 units, was reduced to 19.

That case is also set to be reviewed, while the Straffan Lodge case is scheduled for mention on June 26.