Bookings are being taken from today for 53 apartments in the first phase of a major development on the site of the former Linden Convalescent Home in Blackrock, Co Dublin. There is likely to be a huge demand for the homes because of their superb location on Grove Avenue, a comfortable middle-class suburban road between Blackrock and Stillorgan. Two and three-bedroom apartments to be sold off the plans will be bigger than usual, with floor areas between 840 and 1,330 sq ft. They will cost from £270,000 to £410,000. Seven stunning penthouses are also being released for sale at this stage with between 996 and 1,285 sq ft and costing from £350,000 to £485,000. Lifts will run directly into the penthouses with controlled entry on to the top floor. There are also three unusual diamond-shaped apartments with around 1,120 sq ft, which will have broad appeal. Penthouse owners will get two free car-parking spaces while others will have a single space.Hamilton Osborne King is to take bookings from this morning at the Radisson St Helen's Hotel on the Stillorgan Road and there will be a model and drawings. Capel Developments are handling the scheme, which promises to be one of the most interesting and imaginative to be launched in south Dublin this year. It will have 210 homes in all, 185 of them two and three-bedroom apartments, five large detached homes with a floor area of 2,700 sq ft and 20 three-storey terraced homes with between 1,400 and 1,900 sq ft. The centre-piece of the scheme, a fine three-storey period building dating from 1874, is to be retained and converted into 10 apartments, one of them a 3,000 sq ft penthouse which will occupy the entire top floor.The new apartments and houses will be built around three stylish landscaped courtyards with distinctive water features and underground car-parking. With almost nine acres of grounds available, particular emphasis is being placed on enhancing what is a superb site with lovely gardens. A mixture of old and new woodlands at the front of the grounds will give the houses and apartments immediate maturity and privacy. Additional trees and shrubs are to be planted, including linden trees, which were a feature of the site in the 1700s. It is planned to provide a handsome new entrance with separate security gates for each element of the scheme. All the facilities will be looked after by Wyse Property Managers and funded through a service charge.Who will buy the apartments? Catherine O'Connor of Hamilton Osborne King says that because of the larger than usual floor areas available, together with storage areas and car-parking in the basement, she expects that most of them will be bought by couples trading down from larger homes in the area. The first 53 apartments going on the market are located in two three to five-storey blocks with attractive foyers and short, bright landings at the various levels. There will be no shortage of lifts (the entire development will have 12) which will run from the various apartment floors directly to the underground car-park. The developers promise that buyers will be impressed by the roominess and good taste of the apartments. They will have a terrific living-room, kitchen and utility room. Some of the apartments will have dressing-rooms, a small number of them will also have separate dining-rooms, and virtually all of them will have large balconies.The principal bedroom in all the units will have an en suite shower room. The high standard of finish promised will include a walk-in wardrobe and wiring for TV, alarm, telephone, ISDN communications and video intercom system.Capel Developments has established a strong reputation for high specification and innovative finishes in their apartment schemes. This time they are breaking new ground by providing under-floor and ceiling electric heating in all the units. It will be the first Dublin scheme with invisible heating, ensuring a more equal and efficient distribution of heat.It will also leave walls clear of radiators. According to the ESB, a typical two-bedroom apartment in Linden will cost around £6 per week to heat. The provision of storage space in the basement at extra cost will be of immense value to many buyers. The first 96 apartments are due to be completed by next February.