Two valuable tracts of land which have come on the market in north Co Dublin are likely to attract considerable interest from developers. Both properties are for sale by public tender. The Telecom Public Service Sports Club is selling 12.6 acres with frontage on to the Swords road. Agent Hamilton Osborne King suggests a guideline value of in excess of £6 million for the site, which is situated directly opposite Airways Industrial Estate and close to a junction with the M50 motorway.

The land is being offered in one or two lots, with the smaller plot of 3.4 acres having the largest frontage to the Swords road. Zoning is for industrial development, in accordance with the 1999 Fingal draft development plan.

Offices, industrial, motor sales, retail warehousing and hotel development are all uses open for consideration in the draft plan. The Woodford Business Park across the road from the site was built on a similar zoning, says Brian Cooney of Hamilton Osborne King. The location of the sites so close to the airport and M50 will make them "a sure-fire winner" for commercial developers, he says.

Land close to Dublin Airport has been in particularly keen demand for industrial and office developments, as well as for hotels. Several major speculative industrial schemes are earmarked for sites close to the airport in the next few years. Dunloe Ewart and Aer Rianta are to develop a £100 million business park on an 80-acre park adjacent to the airport.

A substantial tract of land zoned H under the Fingal draft development plan is for sale at Malahide Road, Swords, through joint agents Ganly Walters and Strutt & Parker. The 75 acres involved is particularly well located between Malahide and Swords Business Park.

The M1, connecting the airport road to the Balbriggan bypass, runs between the lands for sale and Swords Business Park. The property is affected by the road proposals at the Malahide Road end, where it is being realigned.

An unofficial guide price puts the value at about £5 million, allowing for the restrictions imposed by the special zoning. This may, however, be on the conservative side.

H zoning was included in the Fingal draft development plan to allow for the development of green belt areas to "provide for urban and rural amenities".

This zoning deals with the controversial issue of farm lands adjacent to urban areas.

The sort of uses for consideration would include hotels, conference centres, golf courses, fitness centres, equestrian centres.

According to Paul McDowell of Ganly Walters, recreational complexes would allow for low-density residential units and/or high-density courtyard type residential units, based upon a low overall maximum density. There may also be possibilities for locally operating developers to utilise lands zoned H to enhance their existing holdings in the area.