In short

Other commercial property stories in brief

Penthouse offices for Green

Shelbourne Developments has got planning permission to develop offices at penthouse level on the former Bank of America Georgian-style building at the junction of Hume Street and St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.

City planners have cleared the way for the roof of the building to be removed and replaced with a new top floor of 166sq m (1,800sq ft) with a glazed façade.

Agents AtisReal and CBRE are handling inquiries for the original 1,600sq m (17,161sq ft) of space as well as the new floor. The ground floor and lower ground floor are available for use as a restaurant.

€.5m for Sandyford offices

The last available floor in a new office building in Sandyford is for sale through Jones Lang LaSalle for €1.5 million. The second floor of Unit 13 in The Courtyard extends to 192sq m (2,067sq ft) and has four car-parking spaces. It has a large open-plan area with two private offices and a break-out meeting area. The block is near the Luas and the M50. Sandyford is now well supplied with shopping and hotel facilities.

€125,000 rent in Rathmines

An interesting new trading opportunity has arisen next to The Swan shopping centre in Rathmines, Dublin 6. Agent Douglas Newman Good Commercial is quoting a rent of €125,000 for the well located unit which extends to 125sq m (1,345sq ft) and is located between the two entrances to the shopping centre at 232 Lower Rathmines Road. It is likely to appeal to a financial institution, bookmakers or retailers and is available on a long lease with no key money. It was previously occupied by the Royal Automobile Club and before that by ACC.

Way clear for London scheme

Irish developer Bernard McNamara's Grattan Property has been given the go-ahead for a 111,480sq m (1.2 million sq ft) office scheme in London's Canary Wharf. The intention is to build a 45-storey tower at 1 Park Place, a development site on the wharf's western edge, creating one of London's largest buildings. The design by Horden Cherry Lee Architects will provide 1,021sq m (11,000sq ft) of shops and restaurants and a dockside walkway, allowing access to Canary Wharf's listed dock wall. Grattan, which is thought unlikely to start building in the current depressed market, bought the site for £52 million (€65.5 million) last May from Malaysian-backed Grenadier Investments.

€12.3m for D12 HQ buildings

DTZ Sherry FitzGerald is seeking €12.3 million for the former headquarters of the Royal Liver Group at Westland Office Park in Clondalkin, Dublin 12. The two detached office blocks measure 2,328sq m (25,063sq ft) and 2,247sq m (24,194sq ft) and come with 130 car-parking spaces. The buildings date from 2001 and are available in one or two lots. Alternatively, they are available to let at a rent of €161 per sq m (€15 per sq ft).

New man at estate agents

Donald MacDonald, pictured on left of picture with his father Ken MacDonald (one of the founders of estate agent Hooke MacDonald), has joined the company as property investment manager. A chartered accountant with a degree in accounting and human resource management from the National College of Ireland, he arrives with extensive experience in the financial and property investment sectors through previous roles at Grant Thornton accountants and Anglo Irish Bank.

Donald's role will include the setting up and development of a strategy for private clients to invest in commercial and residential property, to further improve the company's link with financial institutions and investment companies, and to co-ordinate business development and contact with new and existing clients.

Over €3.8m for D4 offices

Agent Colliers Jackson-Stops is to test the selling market for a high quality Edwardian office building in Dublin 4. The agent is guiding over €3.8 million for 37 Northumberland Road, a two-storey over garden level building which has been occupied for some years by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland. It is also selling its building at 18 Shrewsbury Road on the instructions of the Government. The Northumberland Road building is in walk-in condition and has a floor area of 256sq m (2,756sq ft) with further development potential. There are 12 car-parking spaces on the site of 0.09 hectares. The sale will be by tender.