The Tramyard in Dalkey has come on the market through CBRE with a guide price of €2 million on the instructions of receivers Deloitte.
Located in the centre of the oh-so-chic southside village, the infill site extends to 0.58 acres and is zoned neighbourhood centre “to protect, provide and/or improve mixed-use neighbourhood centre facilities” under the council’s development plan 2010-2016.
The property previously had full planning permission for the demolition of the existing buildings on site and the construction of 20 apartments with ancillary retail space at ground floor level. This would have led to the development of 2,525sq m (27,179sq ft) of space in three three-storey blocks arranged around an open courtyard and all situated over a basement carpark.
However, this planning permission – secured after a long-running battle with some local residents and heritage organisations over the size and scale of proposed plans – has since lapsed.
Developers James Monaghan and Rodney Sheils, for example, were granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in May 2007 to demolish the former tram sheds to make way for 20 apartments and four retail units. But this was after an eight-year planning battle where various proposals were strenuously opposed by local groups and An Taisce.
The Tramyard is currently home to a busy food, antiques, crafts and bric-a-brac market. Visitors are attracted in to the cobbled area, complete with listed tram tracks, by its easy-going ambience. There is also a small performance area.
It is unclear whether the traders have formal leases or what rent they generate but, at the very least, the market provides an asset management opportunity for any new owner before planning permission could be secured to redevelop the site.
The yard and its four tram sheds date back to the late 19th century. It is the last remaining tram yard in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area and is next to the 18th-century Queen’s pub, a protected structure, and close to the town hall.
