Begin a new life in the Old Quarter

VISITORS to this weekend’s show house openings at Ballincollig old barracks redevelopment can look - but they can’t get a financial touch right now.

Eight show-houses will be open tomorrow afternoon. However, a release of 44 residential units at the O’Flynn Construction site was an instant sell-out at a reserved launch last week, with a tranche of intending buyers circulated off a reserved list built up over the last several months.

The next release of homes is not due ‘til October of this year in the phased development of the 834 houses and apartments. Selling agents Sherry FitzGerald saw a rapid take-up from their accumulated list of buying hopefuls: up to 700 people were circulated and invited to a pre-launch viewing last weekend, with the first offerings going for sale on Monday morning.

Overnight queuing followed and the full release of just 44 new homes was sold within a couple of hours of release. Prices ranged from €245,000 for a two-bed mid-terraced townhouse of 700 sq ft to a four-bed 1,890 sq ft detached house at €555,000, said Trish Stokes, new homes director of Sherry FitzGerald auctioneers. Other representative prices were three-bed townhouses of 1,154 sq ft for €295,000, similar sized end terraced houses for €325,000, and a new style of boulevard houses of 1,720 sq ft, with first floor living rooms, selling at €420,000/€430,000. It was the second phase of sales at Old Quarter, with an earlier small launch in October 2004, and the residential element of the mixed use development is expected to take five years in all to build, according to Ms Stokes.

Design of the residential units launched to date, in two of the four residential sections called Waltham Abbey and Leslies Arch, is by Roderick Hogan Architects, and in all, Ballincollig barracks development, which includes a shopping centre due for an autumn opening, has the input of four different architectural firms. Show units are open this Sunday from 1 to 5.00pm.