Beaufield Mews site in Stillorgan guiding at €2.5m for housing

Closure of restaurant serves up a rare residential development opportunity in south Dublin suburb

Developers and investors looking to take advantage of the strong demand for accommodation at the upper end of the capital's residential rental sector and in the traditional owner-occupier market will be interested in the sale of a prime development site at Stillorgan in south Dublin.

Having served up until its closure in 2019 as the home of the renowned Beaufield Mews restaurant and antique shop for more than 70 years, the property is being offered to the market by Knight Frank at a guide price of €2.5 million.

Extending to 0.73 acres (0.29 acres), the Woodlands Avenue site currently comprises the restaurant premises, which during its time served half a dozen sitting presidents and countless celebrities including Rock Hudson, Bjorn Borg, Bono and Joe Dolan. It also hosted the weddings of thousands of Irish couples, including bestselling authors Joseph O’Connor and Marian Keyes.

A feasibility study prepared by Ferreira Architects in advance of the property’s sale suggests it could now accommodate the development of 34 apartments arranged between two blocks ranging in height from three to five storeys, or alternatively the construction of seven terraced houses and nine apartments with surface car parking. Both schemes would include the provision of ample open space set within a public square.

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The delivery of residential accommodation on the site is permitted in principle under the terms of the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council (2016-2022) development plan. According to it the entirety of the Beaufield Mews site is zoned “objective A”, the aim of which is “to protect and/or improve residential amenity”.

Situated within the much sought after location of Stillorgan , the subject property is bounded by Oatlands College and primary school to the north, and the established residential estates of Beaufield Manor to the east and south, and Cherrygarth in Mount Merrion to the west.

The site’s private setting is close to a wide range of amenities at Stillorgan village, including Donnybrook Fair, Tesco, Starbucks and Base Wood Fired Pizza.

The area is also well served by highly regarded educational facilities including the aforementioned Oatlands College, Mount Anville, Coláiste Íosagáin, Loreto College Foxrock, and University College Dublin to name a few.

Transport links

The subject site benefits from excellent public transport links thanks to its location within a short walk of the N11 quality bus corridor where numerous routes service Dublin city centre (St Stephen’s Green) and the Sandyford Business District with journey times of around 15 minutes and 10 minutes respectively.

The N11 also offers commuters convenient access to both the city centre northbound and the M50 motorway which connects to all major arterial routes.

James Meagher and Robert Wilson of Knight Frank say: “This is an attractive development opportunity situated in a highly sought after residential location with envious amenities and public transport links. With its proximity to the city centre and with significant employment in the surrounding area, we would anticipate strong interest in the property.”

Ronald Quinlan

Ronald Quinlan

Ronald Quinlan is Property Editor of The Irish Times