Leeside home comes with tight planning

THIS 30 acre, or so, site at Currabeg, Ovens created a bit of stir when it went to auction in 2000.

A packed room ensured high bidding for the then auctioneer, Henry O’Leary and the site was knocked down for £360,000 - a phenomenal result at the time.

And why? Because the land laps on to the Lee above the Inniscarra dam, has sumptuous views and is private and rural while still being accessible to the city. In fact, with the new Ballincollig bypass, this property will have even faster access by next year to Cork.

The property is now up for sale nearly three years later and this time it comes with a price tag of €650,000 and OPP for conversion of the existing dwelling.

Including the expense of a new road to the old farmhouse, the cost generally reflects the 2000 price level, without an increase for inflation and could be considered a bargain - especially for those looking for land.

However, the tight planning restrictions are the catch here - the old dwelling has to be restored and there is a ceiling of 1,350 square feet in the total development allowed.

An extension to the house cannot exceed 50 square metres and a two-storey dormer is out of the question because of visual amenity guidelines.

Also, the conditions are that the house has to be slated, smooth plastered and have windows with a vertical emphasis, in keeping with the vernacular style of the old dwelling.

Involved percolation tests will also have to be carried out, as the land slopes down to the river. The annual eutrophication or ‘greening’ of the Lee is not helped by septic tanks, although the main cause is still the application of inorganic fertiliser in the Lee Valley, for which new regulations now also apply.

Added to the above conditions, the new purchaser/developer will also have to submit ‘a comprehensive planning scheme’ for screening of the house and this specifically excludes our old friends leylandii and grisellinia.

Even the car parking attached to the house comes under scrutiny. And any garages, boiler houses and the like also have to have planning permission, even if they come under the exempted limits. Tough.

So, despite money, prestige power - the works - the planners are immune and if you want to live in a beautiful area, then you have to live in a smallish, unobtrusive house or - build somewhere else.

Private folk who don’t need lots of space to live in, but like lots of space around - and with direct access to the water, this could be somebody’s dream home.