Homes from €750,000 to €4m launched in ambitious new development in D4. Orna Mulcahy, Property Editor, reports
Throwing a drinks party is not the usual way to launch a new housing scheme, but in the case of Edward Square in Donnybrook, Dublin 4 it seemed appropriate. On Tuesday evening over 100 prospective buyers and guests were invited to the Merrion Hotel to sip mulled wine while viewing the model for the €150 million scheme on the Quaker Hospital site at Bloomfield Avenue, off Morehampton Road, Dublin 4.
The development of 59 houses and apartments goes on the open market today with prices starting at €875,000 for large two-bedroom apartments and rising to €4 million for four-storey Regency-style houses of over 371 sq m (4,000 sq ft) which will be built on two sides of a garden square.
Seven of these 15 large stucco-fronted houses have already been sold, while 10 of 17 glass-fronted three-storey mews houses priced between €1.4 million and €1.8 million have also been reserved from plans. One of the four low level apartment blocks has been fully sold and penthouses in the three remaining blocks have also been snapped up through selling agent Felicity Fox. All this before a sod has been turned on the 4.85-acre site.
Work will begin in January on the walled scheme which also includes 2,972 sq m (32,000 sq ft) of offices in the listed hospital building, which is going to be radically extended. The first residents are scheduled to move in in early 2006, with the entire development due for completion in mid-2006.
This is by far the most expensive and ambitious housing scheme launched in the south inner city. Terraced houses on such a scale have not been built in Dublin 4 for over a century and it's this rarity value, along with the premium location, that is tempting buyers at the very top end of the market. The finished houses will be fitted out in five-star style with luxurious bathrooms, high spec kitchens and, in the case of the Regency houses, underground car-parking and garaging.
Designed by Douglas Wallace Architects, the scheme is a true mix of contemporary and traditional with a laneway of 12 glass-fronted box type mews houses on one side of the development. These houses will have just over 158 sq m, (1,700 sq ft) of living space and an outlook over the grounds of the adjoining Royal Hospital. Three of the four apartment blocks are on this side of the site, with units ranging from around 75 to 173 sq m (816-1,860 sq ft) while the fourth is next to five further mews houses, close to the Regency square.
There is also a handful of original buildings that will be refurbished, the finest of which is Swanbrook House, to be sold at a later date, possibly by auction, according to Felicity Fox. The baby of the scheme is a cosy one-bedroom semi-detached cottage that is still available for sale at €750,000.
Galway developer Gerry Barrett bought the Bloomfield site in 2000 as part of a larger deal that obliged him to build a replacement hospital and Meeting House for the Quakers in Rathfarnham. The finishing touches are now being put to the 75- bed hospital in Stocking Lane with hospital staff and patients due to decamp in January.
Mr Barrett is currently building a large shopping centre, hotel and apartments in Drogheda. Edward Square is his first major Dublin housing project. A week ago he acquired Hatch Street University Hall which is likely to be converted into apartments.
