Headford’s location makes it an ideal commuter town to work in Galway, as it is about 25 minutes’ drive from some of the most significant employers in the county such as Boston Scientific, Merit Medical, Medtronic and Oracle.
The country town situated south of the Black River, with a population of about 1,000, straddles the county boundary with Co Mayo, and is rich in architectural and natural heritage.
Due to its location, it is the angling centre for the eastern shores of Lough Corrib, home to some of the best wild brown trout fishing in Europe, with a boating harbour at Greenfields about 7km away.
The town, which is 15 minutes from the M17 motorway, has been identified as a strategic growth area, and now has a number of well-established housing estates including St George’s, Castleview and Meadow Hill, along with the newly launched Gort na Fuinse.
For families, the town has multiple creches and two primary schools along with one of the largest secondary schools in the county – the co-educational Presentation Secondary School. The area also has well-established family friendly and sporting activities such as Headford GAA Club, Corrib Rugby Club, Moyne Villa Soccer Club along with golf and hurling nearby.
The latest launch of housing in the town is at Gort na Fuinse, a development by OCC Construction and Sathel Property Development. With 70 homes in total, the project consists of semi-detached houses with two, three and four bedrooms that are NZEB compliant, with excellent A2 energy ratings.
NZEB (Near Zero Energy Buildings) regulations apply to all buildings constructed after 2021. It means houses have very high energy performances and, given the current price of oil, gas and electricity, will help lessen the impact of the impending energy price hikes this winter. A combination of air-to-water heat pumps, high performance insulation and airtight high U value windows all contribute to the high energy ratings.
Designed by engineering firm Deane Associates and for sale through Lydon Farrell Estate Agents, most four-bedroom houses in the development, of 126sq m (1,352sq ft), seeking €355,000 have sold. The two that remain are listed at €370,000.
There are three types of three-bedroom units in the current launch of 12 homes. Type B, with 94sq m (980sq ft), have the third bedroom downstairs in a room that is listed as a livingroom in other house types and are seeking €300,000; Type C with 105sq m (1,130sq ft) are priced at €320,000; and Type D with 108sq m (1,162sq ft) are also priced at €320,000.
These three-bedroom units have fine-sized en suites for principal bedrooms, and lots of storage space. With the exception of Type B, a livingroom lies to the front overlooking a communal green while an open-plan kitchen-dining area lies to the rear with access to the garden through sliding patio doors.
The three-bedroom units measuring 105sq m (Type C) have a good-sized utility that lies to the back of the kitchen with the added benefit of access to the rear garden, whereas in the slightly larger house at 108sq m, the utility is off the hallway, behind the stairs.
Houses with the utility to the rear will really appeal to families, as mucky kids can go directly into the utility, rather than having to traipse in through the open-plan kitchen-dining space.
There is also one two-bedroom unit left, priced at €285,000, that extends to 94sq m (980sq ft).
All houses bar the show homes are being sold with a builder’s finish: with kitchens (albeit without appliances), tiling and bathrooms as standard, and each house has provision for electric car charging points.
Rear gardens come levelled and seeded with a patio and maintenance-free concrete fencing between homes. To the front, tarmacadam driveways with boundary planting by Radharc Landscaping, which is currently busy with green communal spaces on to which all the houses face, create a natural divide between the houses.
