Location, location, location in Cork's quirkily laid out Cleve Hill home

Location is top-drawer at Cork City’s Blackrock Road’s quirkily laid out Cleve Hill, says Tommy Barker

FOR years, the Cork south city suburban residential niche called Cleve Hill sort of trundled along, minding its own business.... and on the odd occasion that a semi-detached house here came for sale, it generally got quite the major overhaul and/or extension. Little wonder, though, the location, just off the city end of the Blackrock Road, is simply tops in Cork terms.

However, Cleve Hill’s quiet, cul de sac demeanour sort of got blown out of the water a decade or so ago, when six acres of wooded, sloping land it adjoined above Monahan Road (part of the former demesne of the now vanished period Cleve Hill House) was bought by then-active developers Howard Holdings, for €10.2m, with talk of up to 18 modern mansions of up to €2m a pop being bruited for it.

Then came the crash.

That Cleve Hill land sold once more, for c€3m to Oaktree, and then was flipped on again, and bought by Cork-based Citidwell for a higher, unconfirmed sum said to be about €6m, and is now the focus of the frenzied building site that is the sold-out Botankia scheme, with 31 new-builds progressing right through 2018, in time for an early 2019 handover, with some completions expected just prior to Christmas.

Designed by Hogan Architecture, Botanika’s A-rated homes launched about this time last year, via agents Cohalan Downing, with all of the houses offered at the one time, without a phased release or a showhouse, and saw 1,230 sq ft three-bed semis go from €525,000 (just two); four-bed 1,500 sq ft semis averaged €595,000, while the top end, four-bed detached 2,385 sq ft homes sold out for between €820,000 and €850,000.

For the past 18 months, thanks to the c €20m Botanika delivery, well-settled Cleve Hill has been a hive of activity and witness to a steady stream of tradesmen’s white vans, as indeed has much of the length of the Blackrock Road and its feeder estates itself: there’s a very lively economy here, that’s for sure.

Now, into the fray once more comes No 4 Cleve Hill, a smart and tidy looking four-bed semi-d of just over 1,200 sq ft, guided on an early winter launch at €480,000 by estate agent Brian Olden of Cohalan Downing, for trading-up owners who had bought here about five years ago.

In fact, it’s Mr Olden’s third time having No 4 to sell, and back in 2012 it was offered at €340,000 in a quite original state, while the adjoining No 3 Cleve Hill, which had been hugely extended to 2,660 sq ft and upgraded, was also offered, at €540,000.

The Price Register shows No 3 selling in 2013 for €590,000, above its guide, while No 4 dipped below its guide, and sold for a reported €295,000, also in 20113. (In 2008, it had been offered at €550,000, but its sale price back then was in pre-Register transparency times.)

Improved and decorated now to a high standard, but not as-yet extended despite its excellent site with linked garage and west- facing back garden and patio, 4 Cleve Hill is described by Cohalan Downing as a home of real quality, having a charming atmosphere, and an unrivalled location, put at about 15 minutes’ walk from the city centre.

Predominantly comprising of c two dozen semi-detached homes, some on the main Blackrock Road, with others in various dog-leg and turns inside the estate, Cleve Hill was designed by acclaimed Cork commercial and ecclesiastical architect Frank Murphy, whose family continued to own a number of them up to quite recent times, and who in ‘06 were the beneficiaries of the big €10m land sale to Howard Holdings.

Meanwhile, the most recent Cleve Hill sales were of the 1,800 sq ft No 12, in 2017 at €485,000, and No 2 (also fronting the main Blackrock Road) sold the previous year, ‘16, for €410,000. Meanwhile, one of suburban Cork’s stronger residential sales of 2018 will be that of Ardnagrena, a detached period house on the main Blackrock Road facing Cleve Hill’s entrance, which has sold for €1.5m, well over its €1.25m launch guide.

CDA’s Brian Olden describes No 4 Cleve Hill as a home of distinction, bright internally, with a front-to-back 26’ by 11’ double reception room with inset wood-burning stove, along with a utility/guest WC, cloakroom and muted, tiled kitchen, with pale units, next to a pantry.

Home to a young family who are looking to trade up (but not moving to Botanika just past the original green), No 4’s got a calm internal air and modern touches, with upgraded bathroom, separate shower room, and recessed lighting, contrasting with retained features like polished original pine floors.

Externally, the original dash finish has now been painted up for a fresher look, and there’s off-street parking, with front, side and a back garden with patio.

VERDICT: Modest enough in size, No 4’s perfect for a trader down, or a trader-in, and there’s still scope for extension to the side at some future time, if and as required.

Blackrock Road, Cork City

€480,000

Size: 110 sq m (1,200 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2

BER: D1