The difficulties of finding large apartments in Dublin city centre will be eased somewhat next week when bookings are taken for the first phase of a development of 190 units in the Dublin docklands. The promoters say the homes will have the highest specification yet of any apartments in the area.
Next Thursday, 36 units are being released for sale in the Clarion Quay scheme, which will be between the new Citibank headquarters and the four-star Clarion Hotel now being built. Twelve one-bedroom apartments with 520 sq ft of floor space will be available from £180,000 to £205,000. There will also be 17 two-bedroom homes with 737 to 988 sq ft, which will cost from £245,000 to £370,000, depending on size and the floor on which they are located. For those who need even more space, there will be five 1,075 sq ft three-bedroom apartments, which will be priced between £375,000 and £495,000. In some instances, the developers will be able to combine two apartments.
The joint agents, Ross McParland and Hamilton Osborne King, are also to take bookings for what promise to be three spectacular penthouses. Two will have three bedrooms, 1,521 sq ft of floor space and private roof gardens and will cost £600,000 and £615,000.
The third is expected to sell for at least £1.25 million, making it the most expensive in the city centre. It will have stunning views along the city quays and will be an exercise in spacious luxury with 2,334 sq ft and extensive roof gardens and balconies.
Underground car-parking spaces for all the buyers will cost an additional £25,000.
Unlike previous apartment schemes in the docklands, Clarion Quay will not qualify for Section 23 tax breaks, though most owner-occupiers will not have to pay stamp duty.
In a buoyant market where new apartments sell quickly, it is rare enough for developers to push out the boat and give buyers something extra for their money. The joint developers in this case, Dublin Docklands Development Authority and a private company, Liberty Homes, are doing just that by fitting kitchens with a full range of integrated Neff stainless-steel appliances - oven and hob, cooker hood with extractor fan, fridge freezer, washer/dryer and dishwasher. The high-quality fit-out will also include polished granite worktops and underfloor central heating.
Clarion Quay is being promoted as the development with everything. The design, by architects Urban Projects, was chosen following an architectural competition organised by the DDDA. The apartments will be located in nine blocks, six eight storeys high and three lower rise, around a private landscaped garden. The blocks will run from the North Wall along a new pedestrian street, Excise Walk. One of the blocks with 36 units has been set aside as affordable housing.
Apartments will have modern, open-plan style interiors with full-length windows opening on to extensive balconies. While most of the apartments are likely to be bought by owner-occupiers, some will undoubtedly go to investors because of the strength of the letting market in the docklands. It is also likely that a few of them will be acquired by financial institutions who will use them as an inducement to attract key staff members. The location next to the Clarion Hotel will be a strong selling point. Purchasers are to be offered one year's free membership of the hotel's leisure and fitness club which will include an 18-metre swimming pool. The hotel is being built by the same consortium as the apartments.
A computer-generated virtual tour of the apartments to give buyers a idea of what they will get for their money.
