Sandymount Castle Park is a leafy and quiet cul-de-sac that runs parallel to Guildford Road. Located just a minute’s walk from the village green it feels decidedly suburban, comprising semi-detached houses on plots big enough to build on. Some of the neighbours have already taken advantage and you see several contemporary builds on the street.
Number one is a detached property 150sq m (1,615sq ft) in size and is set on a large plot of land, 0.18 of an acre, that has the potential to develop or modernise, subject to planning permission and deep pockets. The asking price for the four-bedroom property is €1.2 million through agents Sherry FitzGerald.
The house hasn’t really been updated since it was built in the mid-1960s. There are interconnecting reception rooms that run the depth of the house, a kitchen to the back, and the garage has been converted into a low-set room. Upstairs there are four bedrooms.
If you can see beyond its current condition the house has the potential to become a fine family home. Refurbishment will cost about €1,800 per sq m, estimates architect Ros Criostóir of Sheehan and Barry Architects based in Ranelagh, which leaves you with little change from €300,000.
Orchard gates
Two of the boundary walls are granite, all that remains of the orchard known as Grey Gates that once belonged to the nuns. Entry to the orchard is via a set of gates just outside the entrance to number 1, a site called Grey Gates, 1.26 acres in size, that belongs to Bryan Cullen of Jackson Homes and Jackson Properties, where planning has been granted to build 10 three-bed houses; seven two-beds and one three-bed apartments and nine four-bed duplexes. Access to the development will be via these gates. The scheme is being designed by O’Mahony Pike and construction is due to start this September, if the site isn’t sold on.
Subject to planning, number 1 could also be developed. “There is a strong case for up to three houses,” Criostóir says, but also notes that “the planners might try to force you to build up the building line on Castle Drive only”.
