New twist in battle for control of key south Dublin funeral-home market

Fanagans Funeral Directors has lodged a planning application with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Co Council to establish a new funeral home at No 6, Willowfield Park, Goatstown, Dublin 14.

The move by Fanagans comes only weeks after Massey Bros confirmed it is about to open its 10th funeral home in Dublin, in a premises beside The Goat Bar and Grill in Goatstown, owned by well-known publican Charlie Chawke.

‘We believe that healthy competition is beneficial’

Fanagans had objected to Mr Chawke’s funeral home planning application claiming that there was no local need for an additional funeral home for the Goatstown area.

However, Fanagans Funeral Directors’ new application, if it gets the green light, will now result in two new funeral homes for the area.

Fanagans opted not to appeal Mr Chawke’s grant of permission to An Bord Pleanála, which at the very least could have delayed the project for up to one year due to a current backlog at the appeals board.

Susan Guinan, MD of Massey Bros, confirmed their position yesterday.

“Massey Bros has no plans to lodge an objection against Fanagans’ application for a new funeral home.

“We believe that healthy competition is beneficial, ensuring that families have access to a range of services that can accommodate their needs and preferences,” Ms Guinan said.

“We welcome the opportunity to offer our services alongside other providers in the area and believe that the community will benefit from having multiple options.”

In the planning application, Fanagans is seeking a change of use, from retail to funeral home, at No 6, Willowfield Park, Goatstown.

In a planning report lodged with the plans, Manahan Planners states that the proposed change of use to funeral home “involves the provision of a vital community service in an appropriate location”.

The planning report says visiting hours at the funeral home would be ‘periodic’

Manahan Planners states that there would be no impacts on the private amenity of adjacent properties and will not result in any traffic congestion.

The planning report states that the visiting hours for the funeral home would be minimal and periodic and the premises “will operate as an adjunct to the applicants premises in Dundrum”.

The report states that “the proposal ensures the ongoing viability of a commercial premises in a local centre, and provides a much-valued local service to the surrounding residential areas.”

Manahan Planners say the proposal “is a low-intensity one where only one private chapel is proposed in the building, compared with the industry average of two or three chapels – and therefore it is expected that there would be no more than two funerals per week.”

Ms Guinan said that Massey Bros own plans for their funeral home in Goatstown “are progressing well”.

The most recent accounts show that Fanagans Funeral Directors Ltd had accumulated profits of €9.5m at the end of 2022 after recording post-tax profits of €413,684 as revenue climbed to €11.8m.

Massey Brothers (Funerals) Ltd recorded post-tax profits of €314,737 in 2022.