Couples go to the limit and beyond

Couples in their twenties and early thirties are making one of the biggest decisions in their lives when buying a house. Many young Dublin people have realised there is no way they can buy in their home patch or in traditional inner suburbs. People from the country working in Dublin are coming to the same conclusion.

Scrambling to get a foothold in the property market before prices rise further, aspiring home owners have begun to look to the outer limits of Co Dublin and the surrounding counties of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow where housing developments have mushroomed in the last five years.

Department of Environment housing statistics show just how built-up the outer suburbs have become. In the Fingal area alone, 4,512 houses were built in 1996 and 1997, while last year up to September, 1,769 houses were built.

In South County Dublin just over 4,000 houses were completed in 1996 and 1997 and a further 1,317 houses were completed up to September 1998. Neil O'Byrne, a planner with South County Dublin, sees most of this activity taking place in south-east Lucan and west Tallaght. New housing development is continuing apace in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow with house completions recorded at 1,746, 919 and 980 respectively up to the end of September, 1998.

The vast majority of new houses being built in these areas are three and four-bedroom semi-detached houses in estates. Opinions vary on the desirability of creating dormitory suburbs but for couples seeking extra living space, independence and freedom from the rent trap, these new houses fulfil their needs

Ailish Cantwell is a new home-owner who had previously rented in a number of locations both on the north and southside of Dublin. She and her partner, Cathal, initially started their search for their first home in Glasnevin and Castleknock. "We couldn't find a second-hand house that we wanted and certainly didn't want to live in a box of an apartment near the city centre," says Ailish, who is originally from Tipperary and now works in sales and marketing at the Clarence Hotel. Ailish and her partner bought a four-bedroom semi-detached house at Hunter's Run, off the Navan road in July last year. "I saw an area I really liked and for what we were getting it was well worth it. Visitors to the house comment on how spacious it is," she adds.

SHE describes herself as being "delighted" with the move and feels that she has the best of both worlds with the countryside at her doorstep and the facilities of Blanchardstown shopping centre only a 10-minute drive away. "The standard of the building and the green areas in our estate is much better than we imagined. In fact, the move has been far better than we anticipated both financially and in terms of the quality of our environment," she says.

Dave Lucas, originally from Templeogue, bought a house in Cyber Plains with his wife, Breda Reid. "My only prior knowledge of Leixlip, in the days before it was by-passed, was that it was just another traffic jam on the main road out of Dublin," says Dave, who previously owned a city centre two-bed apartment in the IFSC. "We began to feel that we'd somewhat outgrown the apartment and had begun to think about the possibility of having kids.

Our 677-sq-ft apartment was just too small" says Dave. Now that he lives in Leixlip, he speaks highly of the rejuvenation of the town and its facilities. "We've got a smashing big four-bed detached house, which we never thought we could have afforded. We were very fortunate in that we hit it off with our neighbours and now we regularly go for a drink together. We're all on a first name basis and there's a real sense of community," he says.

The most obvious disadvantage is the commuting time, with both partners often working full-time in the city centre and commuting for over two hours a day. Ailish Cantwell feels the only downside to her move to Hunter's Run is the commuting distance to her job in the Clarence Hotel. "In the beginning it was 25 minutes but after August it went bad all of a sudden and it is now up to 50 minutes," she says.

Dave Lucas agrees that the biggest change in his life is the commuting time. `You're on the road at 7.30 a.m. and all going well you should be in by 8.30 a.m. but should you sleep in or get stuck in the traffic jam from hell, it can take up to two hours," he says.

Jack Noone who lives in Naas is on the road "as a rule by 7 a.m." and drives 30 miles each way to his job on the southside. He makes the point that "you drive everywhere because nothing is within walking distance. The nearest shop is a mile away."

Another change in lifestyle that is being created by living in the outer suburbs is the new phenomenon of children not necessarily attending the local school. Ann Boon is still adjusting to her recent move to the Deerhaven estate, near Clonee.

She describes her new estate as being "very, very quiet, you hardly see anyone". She has decided to leave her two children in primary school in Artane where she previously lived and continues to work. It is probably too early to tell if this will be a widespread trend. Undoubtedly it will lead to difficult problems for the education authorities projecting school populations.

Ailish Cantwell views her purchase at Hunters Run as a good investment but has ambitions to buy an older house. Dave Lucas and Breda Reid say they are so pleased with their house that they would stay in Leixlip long term even in the event of one of them giving up work.

Jack Noone feels that his move to Naas was "the best thing I ever did, I have made more contacts and friends than I ever had when I was renting". The overriding feeling from talking to new residents of outer suburbs is that they are positive and optimistic about their moves. Increased living space, ownership, access to motorways and a pleasant mix of city and country life outweigh the drawbacks of traffic and commuting. It looks like the long-established overseas phenomenon of dormitory suburbs has arrived and is here to stay.