A little bit of countryside goes on the market with prime Douglas sale

THE LAST remaining vestige of the country, in the city, has come on the market on the South Douglas Road in Cork.

Trabeg House, the home of the Cronin family, former cattle breeders and dealers, was the farmhouse for the rolling fields upon which parts of this dense Douglas suburb were built.

Now, just a fraction of the original farm remains, and this half acre, along with the period farmhouse, is for sale through Malcolm Tyrrell of Cohalan Downing.

The house is a typical farmhouse in style, in that it’s one room in depth, but comes to almost 2,600 square feet and has five bedrooms. The land surrounds the property and this alone should have developers pricking up their ears as city sites like this do not come along that often.

That being said, it’s widely expected that local GAA club, Nemo Rangers will vacate their grounds on the South Douglas road some time in the future leaving upwards of eight acres or so for developers.

There’s also very strong interest in the former HB depot close by on the South Douglas road which is being sold by Margaret Kelleher of Lisney. A guide price of €1.65 million has been given for this 1.15 acre site and the sale is expected to be completed shortly, in or around that region. There has been very strong levels of interest in the site, says Ms Kelleher, even though it’s not zoned residential at present.

The only impediment to development at Trabeg House is access. The property has a narrow opening onto the main road and the existence of other dwellings on the road boundary prevents any enlargement at present.

Accommodation includes a large entrance hallway, a sitting room with cornicing and a ceiling rose, a dining room with cast iron fireplace and doors to a glass conservatory and a fitted kitchen.

A guest bathroom completes the ground floor rooms.

The upper floor has five decent bedrooms and a main bathroom.

As a good family home, this house should arouse plenty of interest as it has country charm in the heart of the suburbs.

Another important factor is that the property comes with full planning permission for another detached residence to the rear, with shared access, so it might suit a small developer.

For those with less commercial motives the mature gardens and large site would make a private and protected playground for children and the range of out offices could have conversion potential.

Mr Tyrrell gives a guide price of €500,000 for Trabeg House.