The Eric Cairns agency of Belfast is marketing the second phase of Sharman, probably the North's most prestigious shore-front residential development. The scheme is in the centre of Crawfordsburn Country Park, on the Co Down shores of Belfast Lough. The development is set on 21 acres surrounding one of the grand Victorian mansions in an area along the County Down coastline which has become known in recent years as the North's "Gold Coast" because of its residential values.
The first phase of the Sharman contains the North's most expensive apartment, which is believed to have sold for about £700,000 sterling. The three-bedroom apartment is built around the drawingroom of Crawfordsburn House itself, with a two-storey leaded window looking out across the mouth of Belfast Lough to the Antrim coastline.
The main room, complete with the huge baronial fireplace, is split into a mezzanine at the rear with stairs to the bedrooms, two bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes.
The developers, R&A Homes, are estimated to have spent about £2 million developing the 61 apartments, 22 townhouses, gate lodge, tennis courts and a heli-pad in Sharman.
Apartment prices begin from £225,000 and the agents anticipate investor interest from the Republic, despite the sterling/pound differential. They say investors can expect strong capital growth on such a high-spec, low-density development in a prime location. Residential rentals are also picking up strongly in the Belfast area.
The importance of Crawfordsburn, designated by the Department of the Environment as an area of outstanding natural beauty, is reflected in the overall layout, design and attention to detail in development.
Tiles from the original slate roof of Crawfordsburn House have been re-laid. Stained-glass windows have been restored and sandstone pillars and porticos have been refreshed.
The wide staircases and parquet flooring have been retained in the entrance to the 16 apartments in the original house. A further 22 apartments have been developed in a cut-stone cladded annex to the rear. Most of these apartments look out over the sea with rear views to the mature forest that surrounds the site.
The apartments are fully fitted with hand-built kitchens from Thomas Bell Design Centre which include dual-fuel range cookers and compact waste-disposal units.
There has been a rapid increase in values of Belfast apartments in the past four years - the point at which Southern-based developers began moving into the local market just as the apartment boom in Dublin reached its peak.
Five apartments in Belfast's Laganside development area were selling for £55,000. Today, the property is worth approximately £140,000.
Developments in the Lagan and city centre areas are now typically selling for between £140,000 and £245,000.
