TalkingProperty: South Dublin County Council had the vision, the developers the know-how. Shane Daly on the launch of a new town

Adamstown in West Dublin is to become the next major residential area near the city. With over 10,000 homes due to be provided and an estimated population of 25,000, it is set to become an important new town with a full range of transport, educational, shopping and social facilities.

Located 10 miles from the centre of Dublin and on the main Kildare rail line, it will offer homeowners the best in terms of quality contemporary homes, together with a host of retail, entertainment, leisure, childcare, cultural, civic and educational amenities.

The concept at Adamstown is to provide a self-contained and sustainable community, with the key difference being a commitment to provide the necessary supporting physical and social infrastructure and services in tandem with the development of quality housing.

The vision of South Dublin County Council (SDCC) and the developers is to create a new urban centre incorporating all aspects of residential life.

Adamstown will be developed based on a timescale and master plan prepared by SDCC and approved by An Bord Pleanála, and will be delivered under the auspices of SDCC in accordance with its designation known as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) - a novel fast track means of speeding up new housing developments.

The SDZ concept is a Government initiative, which guarantees that comprehensive and pre-specified amenities and infrastructure must be delivered in tandem with housing - in other words the pace of house building will be matched by that of transport, schools and other facilities on site.

The trio of developers behind Adamstown - Castlethorn Construction, Maplewood and Thiera Ltd - operating to a master plan, will co-ordinate the delivery of infrastructure in conjunction with SDCC and the relevant government departments, and statutory agencies.

The key to the success of Adamstown will be the rail link, linking the new Adamstown rail station to Heuston Station in 15 minutes. Construction on the new station at Adamstown will start soon and it is due to be completed in early 2007.

In addition, it is planned to upgrade the existing rail lines to a four-track system with a capacity for 6,000 passengers during the morning and evening peak commuting hours.

Two Quality Bus Corridors will also serve Adamstown as part of the comprehensive transportation services to be provided.

Education and childcare is a major focus within Adamstown, with four schools, three primary and one post-primary, and some 1,400 creche places being provided. The first primary school is scheduled to open in September 2007.

In addition, playgrounds will be provided throughout Adamstown, with a leisure centre also planned, incorporating a swimming pool.

Landscaped open space within Adamstown will account for no less than 72 acres of parkland, including three major parks.

Adamstown will have at its heart a new district centre, based on the European town centre model. The district centre will comprise a series of retail and commercial quarters, and will host a range of shopping, civic, cultural, leisure and entertainment facilities, including cinemas, restaurants and cafés, arranged around the central Civic Square.

Castlethorn Construction will be launching the first phase of homes in Adamstown, known as Adamstown Castle, next month. The first phase of homes in Adamstown Castle will predominately consist of three- and four-bed houses together with two- and three-bed duplex homes and a selection of large one- and two-bed apartments.

The reaction to the commencement of construction on site has been fantastic with many families enquiring about the new houses in Adamstown Castle. Potential buyers are not just interested in the type and style of homes but in the amenities that Adamstown will have.

The most popular topics discussed in the Adamstown Information Centre include transport (the new train link to Heuston Station), schools and playground facilities.

The homes are designed to comply with Sustainable Energy Ireland's "House of Tomorrow" in terms of their energy efficiency ratios.

All homes will also have access to Adamstown's modern telecommunications infrastructure and each house will be fitted for the latest in technology through the deployment of SMART Homes structured cabling system to every room. In terms of planning for Adamstown, Castlethorn Construction invested heavily in opening the Adamstown Information Centre.

The information centre, which is now moving to a new on-site location, opened 12 months ago in the Lord Lucan Centre and has proved to be a success with local residents in terms of communicating all that Adamstown is about and, more importantly, its key benefits.

For many of the existing local residents the investment in this information centre has proved to be, and will continue to be, an invaluable resource in addressing their queries about the development.

Shane Daly is a director of Gunne New Homes which will be handling sales in Adamstown Castle, the first development of houses and apartments coming on the market in Adamstown.