Prominent Foxrock village property likely to have development appeal

To build or not to build will be the question for Rockbrae, an elegant detached Edwardian home on Westminster Road in the affluent Dublin suburb of Foxrock.

The house, which extends to 180sq m (1,937sq ft), would make a superb family home given its size and elegant interiors – though devoid of furniture the bones of the property are excellent. As it stands the house has three bedrooms but there is obvious potential to add extra space in the large garden – all subject to the necessary planning requirements.

However, the size of the plot and its proximity to the village is also likely to make it attractive to a developer. The property, with manicured gardens extending to 0.77 of an acre (0.31 of a hectare), is situated in the heart of Foxrock Village, a location that is well served by established schools and good bus links.

In March this year, this property came on the market seeking €2.3million, when the potential to build extra homes on the site was described as an “exceptional residential development opportunity”.

In addition, Reddy Architecture + Urbanism completed a feasibility study which identified two potential schemes for residential opportunities on the site. The first would see the development of a townhouse scheme of 12 units, while the alternative would involve the delivery of an apartment/townhouse scheme of 17 units.

The site falls under the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Development Plan (2016-2022) and is zoned “Objective A – Residential: To protect and/or improve residential amenity”.

Foxrock has long held appeal for developers due to its stock of period houses on large plots of land, and following a post-Celtic Tiger lull this activity is in full swing again.

Just next door Greencroft Construction is constructing eight new townhouses ranging in size from 266sq m (2,863sq ft) to 303sq m (3,261sq ft) on the Clonbur site, which sold in 2016 for €2million. Standing on 0.6 of an acre (0.24 of a hectare) it is a smaller site than Rockbrae.

Rockbrae is now seeking €1.7million through an online bidding platform BidX1. It is, however, not for auction and is listed as a private treaty sale – with no fixed end date as is normally the case with auction sales.

BidX1 entered the private treaty market earlier this year with a soft launch.

If the property is purchased as a development opportunity rather than as a residential home, developers will likely have to contend with objections from residents in the area.

In 2017 locals held emergency meetings when there were 21 sites in Foxrock either seeking development permission, being sold as development opportunities or under construction, and expressed concern about an “existential threat” from worsening traffic problems and “loss of visual appeal of the ambience of the area”.