TWO VICTORIAN houses of great charm and character in the centre of Swords, Co Dublin, are to be sold separately or in one lot on the instructions of the Catholic parish of St Colmcille. Both are listed for preservation.

Ross Shorten of Lisney is suggesting “a very competitive price” of €635,000 for each of the houses or €1.27 million for both. One of the houses is used as a parish office while the second one was in residential use. They are not interconnected.

Lisney says the houses at 42 and 44 North Street are in an area zoned for town centre use and could easily be converted for use by professional practices such as legal, medical, veterinary, educational or office use, or for a restaurant or café. Both buildings are in need of refurbishment but can be extended to the side and rear. They stand on a combined site of 720sq m (0.178 of an acre). Each house has two rooms at ground floor level and four rooms overhead.

Swords has been one of the fastest growing areas of the country over the past decade with a population of 44,000. The target is to move that figure up to 100,000, helped in part by its proximity to Dublin Airport.

Much of the impetus for its growth has been triggered by the development of the Pavilions shopping centre which is shortly to be expanded again.