With house builders under pressure to find suitable sites, particularly in south county Dublin, Savills is expecting considerable interest in a new development opportunity adjacent to Blackrock village which is to be sold on behalf of Rosemo

nt Education Foundation.

John Swarbrigg of Savills is seeking more than €2.5 million for the former Rosemont International School, a three-storey protected building extending to 556sq m (almost 6,000sq ft) which is located on Barclay Court, just off Temple Road (N31) and within a short walk of Blackrock village. The school stands on a site of 0.46 of a hectare (1.14 acres) which has obvious development potential.

An interested party was recently refused planning permission to convert the listed building into six apartments and for the construction of eight four-bed houses and one four-bed detached home.

Swarbrigg says that the various items that formed the basis of the refusal were by no means insurmountable. These included the approach to the conversion of the protected structure as well as the type and design of houses which merited reconsideration. A detailed planning report explaining the recent refusal in considerable detail would be made available to interested parties to help them understand what the optimum scheme was likely to look like in the future.

Swarbrigg said the property seemed to be exactly what the market was looking for and while the recent planning refusal was not ideal it was clear to him than a slightly revised scheme would be looked upon favourably by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

The property is to be offered for sale by tender on April 19th.