Swish new apartments offering a five-star concierge service in Ballsbridge are aimed at empty-nesters with a taste for fine living, writes Fiona Tyrell
EMPTY-NESTERS with a taste for the finer things in life are the target audience of a swish apartment scheme in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Large, luxurious fitted apartments, some with terraces bigger than a suburban garden, are on offer at Shrewsbury Square - a 60-unit scheme on Sandymount Avenue designed with the trade-down market in mind.
Built on a two-acre site that once was home to Teagasc, Shrewsbury Square is an ideal location for those who wish to name embassies and diplomatic residences among their neighbours and have the Four Seasons as their local watering hole.
Prices are as exclusive as the address. Two-bedroom apartments cost from €850,000 and lavish penthouses start at €2.3 million. Maintenance fees will be among the highest in Dublin at €4,000-€5,000 for two-bedroom units and €7,000 to €8,000 for penthouses. This covers maintenance of the scheme and a concierge service manned by Brian Sutton, who promises to bring the five-star service he delivered as head concierge in hotels such as The Westin and the Four Seasons.
Shrewsbury Square has been almost three years in the making, but now developers WPP - a joint venture between Woodgreen Builders and Burns Construction - are putting the finishing touches to the site.
Although the scheme comes to the market for the first time today, 30 units have sold quietly since last summer, says David Cantwell from Hooke & MacDonald, which is joint selling agent with Douglas Newman Good New Homes.
Well-heeled downsizers and people looking for an exclusive address in the city are the typical profiles of buyers to date, he says. Leading the way was veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne who is among the dozen or so residents to have already moved in.
Well-heeled downsizers are thin enough on the ground at the moment, preferring to hold off until a more settled market. Geralyn Byrne from Sherry Fitz-Gerald reports that this type of buyer prioritises security and certainty and are opting to go on private client lists rather than risk a failure in the auction room. The developer, however, will be hoping that the exceptional finish and top notch location at Shrewsbury Square will lure empty-nesters into the market.
Finish at Shrewsbury Square is impressive. Kitchens are SieMatic, bathrooms have underfloor heating and Villeroy & Boch suites, and all units have built-in wireless home entertainment systems. Little extras such as door knobs, trendy pendant lights over breakfast bars and good storage space set the scheme apart.
The two-bedroom apartments with 76-103sq m (820-1,100sq ft) have a fairly standard layout with a main reception room with dedicated zones for kitchen, living and dining.
Bedrooms are generous and the main bedroom en suite is family bathroom sized.
The real wow factor has been saved for the eight three-bed penthouses over 129-147sq m (1,390-1,580sq ft) with high ceilings.
The main living space is an open-plan living/dining/kitchen which runs the width of the penthouse. A glazed wall with folding doors open onto a large terrace with great views over leafy D4.
