New homes: Shankhill scheme targets southside deficit

Ravenhall, the developer that built Melfort on Newtownpark Avenue in Blackrock, St Thomas Wood in Mount Merrion and Berehaven Place in Raheny, has been trying to get Woodbank out of the ground for the past 10 years. It adjusted the planning and the scale of the development down from large apartment blocks when it first applied, acquiring a third house and so extending the size of the site and then adjusting the planning to favour houses over apartments as the downturn hit.

The horseshoe-shaped development has been built on land in Shankhill that belonged to three separate houses, Woodbank, Arisaig and Cremorne, and fronts on to the Dublin Road. It abuts the old Harcourt Street railway line and Rathmichel parish primary school. There are two other primary schools within a couple of hundred metres of the development, and the village is a 500m walk.

Yellow brick

Comprising 58 homes, of which 40 are houses and 18 are apartments, it was designed by Laurence Pierce & Associates and features houses fronted in blocks of honed yellow brick.

Two-bedroom apartments of 88sq m (950sq ft) cost €315,000; three-bed apartments 103sq m ( 1109sq ft) cost €360,000, while three-bedroom duplexes range from 133sq m (1434sq ft) to 140sq m (1507sq ft) and in price from €395,000-€435,000.

The four-bedroom terraced houses, built in banks of four, start from €505,000 for a mid-terrace property of 157sq m (1,688sq m), rising to €550,000 for an end-of-terrace home. At the top of the offer are three-storey, four-bedroom semidetached houses extending to 163sq m (1,752sq ft) which range in price from €595,000-€625,000.

All the homes have roomy nine-foot ceiling heights at hall and first floors. In the showhouse a false breast has been designed into the sitting room to create a focal point but as these are A3-rated homes there is no need for a fireplace other than for visual warmth.

The eat-in kitchen, set to the rear, has quartz countertops and sealed bulkheads, a thoughtful idea that prevents the tops of above-counter units from ending up covered with grease and dust.

Showhouse

The kitchen comes fitted with AEG appliances subject to a timely receipt of contracts within 30 days and is standard, as per the showhouse, which has been designed by designer Elaine Browne of Elk House Interiors.

The houses are three-storey, with three of the four bedrooms on the first floor. The master spans the width and depth of the second floor and comprises a large, naturally-lit ensuite with good ceiling heights, a walk-in wardrobe and a lovely terrace – a place to escape the kids.

Location

The only downside is the hum of traffic from the M50 and M11, both of which are nearby. Of the 58 properties, 13 are already sale agreed, which among other things is indicative of the demand for good new homes in south Co Dublin.

Ravenhall's Matt Gallagher, a former president of the Construction Industry Federation, says it's going to be a long haul before there is a proper functioning property market.

“The Central Bank rules are affecting the ability of people to borrow.

“More people would move if they could find the right properties but many can’t because there isn’t enough building of new homes.”