Dundrum, "fort of the ridge", was an important monastic centre in early Christian times, presiding over a wide area from Donnybrook to Rathfarnham. The Norman castle that gave its name to the present village was built in the 13th century by the De Clahull family.
In recent years, Dundrum has become famous as the location of some of the worst traffic jams south of the city. People living in a wide area stretching to Enniskerry use Dundrum as a conduit for shopping and school runs. To make things worse, the "back" road to the city from Co Wicklow runs down the Main Street.
In a way, this village on the edge of the Dublin mountains is a victim of its own popularity. The main attraction for house-buyers is its location, about four miles from the city centre. Architecturally it's a mix of old and new, with quaint single-storey cottages and old-fashioned general stores existing comfortably beside modern semis and chain stores.
Traffic hold-ups will be just a memory when Dundrum gets its new by-pass and when the South Eastern Motorway reroutes north and southbound traffic through Sandyford. The contract has just been signed for the Ballinteer Road improvement scheme and work will begin on the Dundrum and Wyckham by-passes next year. Ballinteer Road is planned to eventually link up with the South Eastern motorway.
An Bord Pleanala's recent rejection of a proposal for a major shopping and commercial development at the former Pye centre in the village could slow down road construction, however. The council had hoped that the company, Castlethorn Construction, would make a significant contribution towards the cost of the Main Street by-pass.
The board, while finding the development suitable in terms of zoning and traffic safety, objected to the extension of the village in a manner which would be "out of character" and criticised the "monolithic nature" of the main block. By 2003, the South Eastern Motorway should be completed as far as the M11, according to the county engineer's office. The Dundrum to Sandyford section of the LUAS, scheduled to run along the old Harcourt Street railway line, has a start-up date of autumn 2000, and should be in operation by summer 2003. The Minister for Public Enterprise signed the order on September 8th last. There is a two-month period when objectors can seek a judicial review before the scheme comes into effect on November 9th. The upheaval to be expected when all this infrastructure is going in has not put off housebuyers in the area. Rather, purchasers are targeting Dundrum in greater numbers and investors with an eye to the longterm future are already buying in the village.
Before plans to divert through-traffic were put in place, the city end of Dundrum was the choicest area. Now, anywhere close to the new motorway or the LUAS is hot property and prices are beginning to catch up. Estates off Sandyford Road, until now held back by trouble getting through the village bottleneck, will soon have a good road network on their doorstep.
The Clonard Estate, off Sandyford Road, is a reliable barometer for house prices in the area. A four bedroom semidetached on Clonard Road, valued at £105,000 in 1996, is currently for sale with Sherry FitzGerald, at £215,000. A five-bedroom semi which fetched £155,000 in 1997 is back on the market at £275,000. One of the large four/five-bedroom houses on Dun Emer Road, near Park Vale, sold in 1995 for £85,000 and the following year for £110,000. Number 48 is currently on the market, quoting £380,000.
Ballinteer Road, running parallel to Sandyford Road from the village up to Ticknock, has also been undervalued according to local agents. Buyers can still find a three-bedroom semi in good order for around £170,000. A larger, five-bedroom semi on Lynwood, which sold in 1997 for £155,000, is back on the market with Sherry FitzGerald, quoting £275,000.
Further up Ballinteer Road, at Woodpark, a quarter of a mile from the village, the average price for a three-bedroom semi has risen from £137,000 to over £170,000 in the past year.
The residential area behind the shopping centre around Sweetmount and Barton Road will greatly benefit from the new road network. Its proximity to the proposed LUAS stop in the village should increase values there.
A four-bedroom semi-detached house on Sweetmount Avenue, which sold five years ago for £165,000, is currently quoting £245,000. Another on Sweetmount Park needing work on a large plot sold for over £190,000 three months ago. Agent Vincent Clarkin of Boyle Drohan Gannon says he could get £225,000 if it were back on the market.
Although not strictly in Dundrum, the quaint cottages and 1930s ex-council houses at Windy Arbour were a good buy a couple of years ago. Now, they are "the most sought-after houses you can get your hands on", according to Vincent Clarkin. A two-bedroom cottage at Farranboley Park in original condition and needing work is new to the market, asking in excess of £165,000.
The mid-terrace houses on St Columbanus Road sell these days for up to £150,000. Sherry FitzGerald has a two-bedroom extended cottage at Farranboley for £165,000. Not far from here, a 950 sq ft two-bedroom duplex apartment at Alexandra Court, which cost around £70,000 when built seven years ago, is expecting in excess of £180,000.
The most exclusive end of Dundrum is still the Taney Road area, between the Main Street and Goatstown. A record was set last year when a period house on Sydenham Road sold for £700,000. Three years ago, these two-storey over basement house changed hands for under £300,000. Agents say 20 per cent more can be expected when the next house on this road comes up for sale.
MORE down-to-earth prices in the area include a four/five-bedroom semi-detached house on Taney Rise, selling with Sherry FitzGerald for £275,000 and a three-bedroom mid-terrace house at Taney Crescent with Boyle Estates for £210,000.
House prices are rising steadily nationwide in the current buoyant market. If there is a downturn, the "added value" of the LUAS and the South Eastern Motorway could go some way towards cushioning Dundrum property prices against a fall.
