Cowen pays for price drops at the ballot box
ALTHOUGH IT may take an army of researchers to prove – our nose tells us the collapse in property values was a major factor in the electoral defeat of government parties. "Breakfast roll man" may have been a caricature of the Ahern era, but he, and she, usually commuted from a house that has lost around 40 per cent of its value in the past two years.
As most voters’ largest asset is their home, close on a million households felt this personally – and responded at the ballot box. Other factors came into play but, when the researchers dig into the vast underbelly of resentment, property prices will be prominent on the scale of dissatisfaction.
Such political volatility linked to property does not obtain in other European countries which did not experience the stratospheric hikes in prices that Ireland did. Older, settled urban communities know that prices are cyclical – domestic prices in France, Belgium and Holland hardly registered on the scale for years, showing modest increases compared to the Irish mania. Hence, of course, the Irish buying spree abroad. Apart from the economics of the price plunge, the deep-rooted attachment in the Irish psyche to property meant that no government which presided over such personal losses could avoid a kicking at the polls. Add the ostentation of the boom, from lunch-hour Botox to mahogany tans cruising the highways in giant 4x4s, and you can see how Mr and Mrs Breakfast Roll felt they’d had enough of the new Ireland – and kicked the nearest dozing dog, which happened to be a hapless government seeking votes.
The mantra is clear. Unless forced by an impending five-year term, no government should ever, ever seek re-election in the face of plunging prices for domestic residences. Even if it means giving a vast subsidy, somewhere... somehow... over the rainbow.
Be a conservation expert in a weekend
IF YOUR HOUSE is falling down around you and you don’t want to replace those beautifully crafted old elements with plasticy new bits then get down to the Traditional Building and Conservation Skills in Action Exhibition in Co Roscommon this weekend. There you can find out how to look after your stone walls, let your home breathe easy by using lime mortar, restore those sash windows and decorative plasterwork, and conserve stained glass. You can also find out how to apply for grants for protected structures.
The exhibition and talks have been organised by the Irish Georgian Society in association with Roscommon County Council, and among the experts talking will be stone wall guru Patrick McAfee, windows queen Dr Nessa Roche and lime master Edward Byrne. You are encouraged to bring along pictures of your own buildings to get personalised advice. And, for children who find it all less than fascinating, there is face painting from 11am to 2pm each day. The event is at Strokestown Park, Strokestown, Co Roscommon on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free (lecture numbers are limited to 60). Phone 01-676 7053 or email info@igs.ie or conservation@roscommoncoco.ie.
Value brings buyers out
IT’S NOT ALL doom and gloom in the new homes market as developers Chieftain found last weekend at the relaunch of a scheme of houses called The Friary, just outside Wicklow town.
These are big, executive-style homes with expensive kitchens, large en suites and distant views of the sea, but they got a cool reception when they were first offered for sale last year.
However, a substantial price drop has quickened interest in the development, located at Keatingstown, with crowds of potential buyers out to investigate the value. Three-bedroom detached houses start at €310,000 – down €105,000 from their original price. Four-bedroom houses are priced at €495,000, also much reduced, as are the 253sq m (2,725sq ft) five-bedroom houses which are priced at €695,000, according to Gunne New Homes. Three showhouses will be open this Saturday and Sunday from 2pm to 4pm.
Who knows what they're saying behind closed doors
WE WERE willing to get up early to hear words of wisdom on the future of the market “in the face of NAMA” and “current economic conditions” at an 8am breakfast seminar this week. Gurus like Pat Gunne of Green Property, UCD professor Karl Whelan and Dolmen Stockbrokers’ head of research Oliver Gilvarry were going to be speaking. And then the hosts, solicitors Mason Hayes Curran, withdrew their invitation, as it was “a closed event”. What might they be saying that they don’t want us to hear? The event was billed as part of a series organised by Mason Hayes Curran “to provide a platform for experts to discuss their views and concerns on key issues and to offer the audience an opportunity to contribute positively to the debate”. Just so long as they don’t do it in public.
Bord inspector's 4,000 word report on tree house
NEVER MIND the credit crunch and the job losses. The hottest issue in Blackrock , Co Dublin, this week was not the economic woes but rather a tree house for children built in the rear garden of 2 Sydney Avenue. No sooner had the owners erected the wooden tree house on a tall apple tree when two neighbouring families objected. A planning officer from Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council was immediately dispatched to the site but was unable to determine the legality of the play house. He then called in an expert from An Bord Pleanála to determine whether it "is or is not development, or is or is not exempted development".
The two objecting families were "most distressed with the structure", according to the board. Their case was that while it may be a tree house, it had a head room of 2.2 metres, and "could be many other things beside, such as an observatory platform or converted to a pigeon loft". Once the objections were raised, the owners lowered the roof, bringing the tree house down to 12ft wide by 7ft deep. They explained that it was not habitable, had no windows and would be taken down when the children had outgrown it.
The planning inspector carried out a thorough investigation of all the issues involved and wrote an excellent 4,000-word thesis on the subject. The board ratified his findings and in due course ruled that the tree house was an exempted development.
With relatively few new building projects in the pipeline and ever more builders going bust, it is encouraging that An Bord Pleanála is still finding worthwhile work for its highly skilled staff.
Minima expands to Hanover Quay
HELEN KILMARTIN is opening a new Minima furniture and lighting showroom in the Dublin docklands, at Hanover Reach overlooking Grand Canal basin.
As with Kilmartin’s other showroom in a Georgian townhouse on Herbert Place, furniture at the modern, glassy Minima2 is viewed by appointment, but the new showroom will be open to all on Saturdays recalling the days when Kilmartin had a shop on St Stephen’s Green.
Minima has the Irish agency for some of the global big names such as Cassina, BB Italia, MDF Italia, and Santa Cole, among others, so Saturdays will offer the chance to browse around and see what key designers have been producing.
“Despite the downturn, people are renovating and investing in what they have and good design will always be in demand,” says Kilmartin, a veteran of the interiors scene. “I have sourced pieces at a wide level of price points.”
