Herbert Hill, perhaps Dundrum’s finest remaining residential property, is facing redevelopment following a recent planning application submitted by Targeted Investment Opportunities (TIO). The company is involved in some of the city centre’s largest developments, including a 4,600sq m office development at 6-8 Hanover Quay.

TIO has sought planning permission for a development of 111 apartments and three houses on the expansive Dundrum property. The majority of these new apartments will be one- and two-bedroom units contained within blocks ranging in height from five to eight storeys, while the original house, which dates from about 1825, will be split into two semi-detached houses. A total of 127 car parking spaces and 131 bicycle parking spaces will be provided under the proposed plans.

Herbert Hill has been the family home of a Rotunda Hospital obstetrician for many years. The house occupies about 2.7 acres of private grounds, featuring a tennis court and gate lodge, and is accessed from Sandyford Road. While the suburban mansion was not offered for sale on the open market, it appeared as having sold in the residential property price register last September for €1 million. It is likely that this figure was merely in respect of the main house and a portion of the lands, as the entire property is worth multiples of that amount due to its location and development potential.

Developer Greg Kavanagh’s Crekav Landbank Investments recently purchased a similar-sized 2.8 acre “walled garden” nearby at Wyckham Point for a reported €7 million from Hibernia REIT. By comparison, Herbert Hill enjoys a superior location and setting, situated just two minutes from the entrance to Dundrum Town Centre and five minutes from Ballaly Luas station – suggesting an even higher value could have been achieved.