Residential

Cherrywood: A new urban centre in south Dublin suburbs

New Homes 2019: 8000 homes are due to be built in the coming years for Dublin's newest commuter hotspot

Cherrywood in south Dublin: The undeveloped land bank could become a brand new town centre

Alanna Gallagher's face
Alanna Gallagher
Sun Feb 3 2019 - 06:00

Distance to Dublin city centre: 15 km

Connectivity: The Luas Green line tram to O'Connell Street takes 50 minutes; the number 7 bus travels from Mountjoy Square to Cherrywood Business Park in about an hour; and the 145 will bring you to O'Connell Bridge in about 40 minutes.

By car, it takes just over half an hour to reach both Dublin airport and the Port Tunnel.

Population: It is believed the area will potentially accommodate about 25,000 people.

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Strategic development zone plans for Cherrywood, a new urban centre with a plan for 8,000 homes, sandwiched between Shankhill and Carrickmines in south county Dublin were first announced in 2010.

However, delays with the process and the fact that there were 12 different landowners to deal with meant that it was only last May that international real estate firm Hines confirmed its plan to develop the town centre following approval by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy (C) with Brian Moran, senior managing director with Hines’ Dublin and Paul van Stiphout, senior portfolio manager at APG Asset Management, (left) at announcement of the construction of new apartments at Cherrywood in December 2018. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times

In the last 18 months the developer has spent €50million on infrastructure, including roads, parks and services, the Luas line and Luas station. The station is within the short-hop commuter zone.

“A new town is being built,” says Ossian Smyth, Green Party councillor for Dún Laoghaire. “It is a huge undertaking and will be very dense. It will accommodate 25,000 people in 9,000 apartments and houses, as well as provide office space for 10,000 workers on 400 acres of land. It’s a town where you can go shopping or go to school without having to get in your car.”

The €1 billion mixed-use development will have 1,269 build-to-rent apartments, 585,000 sq ft (54,348 sq metres) of retail and office space as well as high-amenity leisure space.

One of the dozen landowners is house-builder Cairn who three years ago acquired two lots totalling 10 acres with room to build more than 300 houses and apartments.

The house builder is currently conducting a feasibility study to try and get moving on permission for its first 100 houses, duplexes and apartments.

Located 500m from the Green line Luas stop (the second-last stop on the line heading south to Bride’s Glen), planning manager Aidan McLernon at Cairn says he hopes the house builder will have the first 50 homes completed by the end of the year.

The apartments at Cherrywood will comprise two-bed apartments at ground level, ideal for downtraders, with three-bed duplexes set above them. All will have generous terraces.

Cairn views Cherrywood as a family destination and will concentrate on building houses first, including three- and four-bed homes. Up to 396 beds of student accommodation are also planned.

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council