Demand for housing sites on the rise

With developers back in the market looking for housing and commercial sites, selling activity has clearly accelerated in recent weeks after being dormant for more than five years.

The shortage of family homes mainly in south Dublin has encouraged ever more builders to resume construction with the prospect of making a reasonable profit now that prices are rising steadily in most areas.

Six sites going for sale this week are located in Rathfarnham, Drumcondra,Sandycove, Sandyford, Merrion Road in Dublin 4 and Wicklow town.

Gemma Lanigan of DNG is seeking offers in excess of €2 million for a listed house on a two-acre site at Sarah Curran Avenue in Rathfarnham which has planning permission for four new detached houses.

There is planning approval to convert the period house into residential units. The vendor is awaiting a decision on whether two further homes can be built on the grounds.

Sandycove auction
Ross Shorten of Lisney is guiding more than€1.1 million for a site on 0.21 of a hectare (0.5 of an acre) at Elton Park, Sandycove, which is to be auctioned on November 14th on the instructions of receivers Baker Tilly Ryan Glennon.

The site, owned by businessman Richard Murphy, occupies a prominent corner position on Elton Park convenient to Glasthule, Sandycove and Dalkey villages. The planning permission provides for four large homes with floor areas of 360sq m (3,876sq ft) . The site is exempted from any social or affordable housing provision.

Mr Shorten said that while many sites were offered for sale by private treaty over the past year in south Dublin, virtually all of them had gone to sealed bids before being sold.

For that reason Lisney had recommended that the Elton Park land should be brought to the auction room with a view to selling it under the hammer.

Ron Cregan of Colliers International is quoting an advised minimum valuation of €1.25 million for a site of almost an acre at the junction of Grace Park Road and Collins Avenue in Drumcondra, Dublin 9. There is planning permission for 19 three-bedroom houses ranging in size from 92sq m to 109sq m. The site backs on to the open-space area of Grace Park Heights and the rear gardens of houses fronting on to Collins Avenue. It is close to Beaumont Hospital.

Zoned for medical use
Brendan Smyth of DTZ Sherry FitzGerald is asking €1.6 million for a highly accessible site extending to 0.63 of a hectare (1.57 acres) beside the Beacon Hospital on Blackthorn Road in Sandyford. The site, which is being sold on the instructions of receiver Aiden Murphy of Crowe Horwath, is zoned for medical/hospital use and has planning permission for two nine-storey blocks of 15,629sq m and 14,195sq m.

Mr Smyth said he already had direct approaches from potential purchasers and expected to have a sale concluded within the next few weeks.

Susan O’Leary of Lisney has set a minimum value of €80,000 for the site of a former railway cottage at the junction of Merrion Road and Strand Road. It will be auctioned on November 12th. The site, owned by CIÉ, has a depth of 10m and a 10m boundary on to the Dart line.

Lisa McInerney of GVA Donal O Buachalla is seeking in excess of €850,000 for a substantial property in the centre of Wicklow town. It includes the Bayview Hotel, An Stra Nua bar, two retail units, a car park, a site to the rear and four terraced houses.

The bar is to be sold with a declaratory order entitling the purchaser to apply to renew the bar licence. There was previously planning permission for a mixed retail and residential development totalling 4,738sq m. The selling agents say this plan could possibly be renewed or amended.