Beach Road filling station site in Sandymount seeks €11.5m

A 0.95-acre site with planning permission for 83 apartments at Beach Road in Sandymount is on the market at €11.5 million through joint agents Cushman & Wakefield and Eoin Conway.

The Dublin 4 site, occupied by a Maxol filling station and adjoining car dealership, is in a sought-after location within walking distance of Sandymount village, the Dart and the seafront. It is also convenient for the East Link bridge and Port Tunnel.

John Fleming Architects designed the five-storey, 11,500sq m (123,785sq ft) apartment scheme for the site. It comprises a mix of 23 one-beds, 48 two-beds and 12 three-beds, and also includes 90 car-parking spaces and 90 cycle spaces for residents.

The development faced objections from residents and a local school but An Bord Pleanála gave it the green light last December.

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Car evolution

Forecourts are a part of the retail landscape likely to come under pressure from the rise of electric cars and the phasing-out of petrol and diesel models.

Irish Times Motoring Editor Michael McAleer reported last week that sales of fully electric new cars surged in January – reaching 811 for the month, up 680 per cent from the 104 sold in the same month last year. Fully electric cars now make up 2.5 per cent of sales, with regular hybrids and plug-in hybrids accounting for a further 7.73 per cent.

The sale probably also reflects the rise in the site value relative to the commercial activity taking place on it. This was a feature of some forecourt sales in the capital in the noughties. But some major forecourt operators are still investing significant sums developing their businesses – often those that are not heavily reliant on fuel sales.

One agent with years of experience selling forecourts has that city forecourts are being snapped up for alternative uses – despite the fact that there are more cars than ever on our roads.