Demolition works are underway at the former Nazareth House orphanage in Fahan.
The building has been tumbled to make way for three modern holiday homes.
Planning permission was granted on 17th May to ODK Properties for the works at Greenoge.
Works are now underway demolish the existing former children’s home and for the construction of three detached two-story dwellings together with all associated site works.
One of the conditions of the permission was that an archaeological assessment is carried out on the site before any building works take place. A third party submission was made to the council with concerns that there is a possibility of unmarked graves on site given the history of the home. This was considered a ‘valid concern’ by planners. Developers were told that least one trial trench should be excavated on the site by a qualified archaeologist as part of their assessment before building.
The former Nazareth House orphanage, managed by the Sisters of Nazareth, was established during the Second World War when a number of babies were evacuated from Nazareth Homes in Derry.
The former Nazareth House building in Fahan
The Fahan institution often took in children born to unmarried mothers in Northern Ireland.
In January, an independent investigation into Magdalene laundries and mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland showed that hundreds of babies were moved across the border throughout the ‘shameful’ period.
The current works do not impact Nazareth House nursing home, which remains operational and is a protected structure.
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