Apartments in the first high-rise residential block in Dublin's city centre go on sale today at prices from £250,000 for two-bedroom units. The 16-storey block on the edge of the Grand Canal Basin in Ringsend, Dublin 4, has 48 two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments but only 14 of them are being released for sale at this stage - all between the third and eight floors. The next phase is likely to come on the market after Easter and three large penthouses, among the most stylish in Dublin, will be sold by auction at a later stage, according to the agents, Hooke & MacDonald.
Zoe Developments, which has virtually completed work on the Millennium Tower block at Charlotte Quay, says the smallest units will cost from £250,000 but prices for the remaining apartments will not be finalised until this morning.
Ken MacDonald of the selling agents says they have logged hundreds of inquiries for the apartments in the tower because of their location and outlook. It is understood several leading entertainment and business people have offered to buy the penthouses, which have stunning views that sweep all the way from Howth to the Dublin mountains.
The largest penthouse has a floor area of 1,200 sq ft and will be fitted out to order once it has been sold. It will also have a two-level timber deck of around the same size which will make it particularly suitable for entertaining on a grand scale.
The second penthouse will have around 1,100 sq ft and a private terrace with 600 sq ft, while the third penthouse will have 800 sq ft and a spiral staircase up to a roof garden. Millennium Tower will have a spacious restaurant and bar on the ground and first floor levels and two lifts running from the basement car-park to the upper floors. Car-parking spaces will cost an extra £15,000.
The two-bedroom and three-bedroom show apartments which are open to the public today have huge windows to capitalise on the superb views. They also have large L-shaped reception rooms, which double as diningrooms and separate kitchens to the side. Each apartment has a balcony off one of the bedrooms. Two-bedroom apartments have a floor area between 750 and 800 sq ft while three-bedroom homes range from 800 to 900 sq ft.
When completed, the Charlotte Quay complex will have a total of 242 apartments in five different blocks. About 25 units are still available from earlier phases ranging in price from £180,000 to £220,000 for two-bedroom homes and from £200,000 to £350,000 for three-bedroom apartments.
The Millennium Tower will inevitably become one of Dublin's new landmark buildings and is likely to set a precedent for other apartment developments in the Dublin docklands.
