Two Clonskeagh semi-ds with premium price tag could pave way for UCD accommodation

What will the neighbours think? When it comes to the residents of Roebuck Crescent in Clonskeagh, we may know soon enough judging by the proposal being attached to the sale of two adjoining houses at one end of the sought-after south Dublin stretch.

While the neighbouring semi-ds at numbers 5 and 7 Roebuck Crescent sold for €1 million and €882,000 in 2020 and 2017 respectively, the owner of numbers 9 and 10 looks set to secure a significant premium thanks to the houses’ combined 403sq m (4,351sq ft) footprint and more particularly the 0.35-acre site they occupy immediately adjacent to UCD’s Belfield campus.

The €3.5 million price being guided by joint agents Knight Frank and McNally Handy may look like a lot at first, but it makes more sense when one considers the feasibility study drawn up by Lawrence and Long Architects in preparation for the sale of the houses. According to it, the site has scope for the development of a 52-bed-space purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme.

Although that proposal might not be met with the warmest of welcomes from local residents, it is consistent with the properties’ Objective A zoning under the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan 2022-2028, the aim of which is “to provide residential development and improve residential amenity while protecting the existing residential amenities”. Potential future uses under this same objective include residential, student accommodation and medical/health centre.

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Although the locals will have to wait to see if a new owner decides to pursue permission for a student-housing scheme, The Irish Times understands that there has been initial engagement with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on the matter.

It is understood that the council considered the principle of development and the proposed use of the site to be acceptable once a thorough landscape master plan and drainage design are put in place. The proposed height and massing of the scheme was also favourably received, as was the proposal that it would be a car-free development.

Commenting on the sale of numbers 9 and 10, Knight Frank said: “The opportunity to acquire two adjoining residential properties in such a prime residential location is a rare opportunity. This sale presents an obvious development opportunity for a residential or student-accommodation scheme and we would expect strong interest from a range of developers, builders and investors.”