City centre block has garden view

Dublin 8: from €330,000Few streets in Dublin have changed as radically as Cork Street and in the space of only a couple of years several new apartment blocks have sprung up along the newly widened road. Number 61 is one such block and it's nearing completion with apartments going on the market today. It's a block of 29 units with prices from €330,000 for one-bedroom apartments and two-beds from €380,000.

The apartments, available through Hooke & MacDonald, have kitchens of varying size at one end of the livingroom. There's an en suite in the two-beds and a good feature is a decent-sized walk-in cupboard off the hall that is plumbed for a washing machine. Each has a small balcony and the light in the apartments is maximised with floor-to-ceiling windows in the livingrooms. The nine one-beds range from 45-50sq m (485-535sq ft) and the 20 two-beds have 63-73sq m (680-790sq ft).

Parking is underground (at an extra cost of €25,000) and there's a lift in the building. The lobby is designed so that there's a view of the garden at the back from the main entrance, which is an unusual feature. The lobby is also relatively large.

One of the biggest decisions facing buyers will be whether to chose between an apartment facing the front or the back. The front overlooks Cork Street - a busy main road - while the units at the back are perhaps more attractive in that they are south-facing and look down onto the landscaped courtyard. As this is such a small development this outdoor space should make for a pleasant and usable private garden. The builders are Danniger whose well-known schemes include the Gasworks, Loreto Abbey and Castleforbes Square. Hooke & MacDonald is the selling agent and the show apartments are on view from today.