Cleve Hill property will need some work

CLEVE HILL is set to come out from its self-imposed slumberland in 2007 and beyond.

The enclave estate just in off the city end of the Blackrock Road in Cork has trundled along at its own gentle pace for several decades, with a steady selling-on of the mid-1900s houses here, many of which were retained by the Murphy family, relatives of the original builder.

Last summer a six acre plot at the foot of Cleve Hill was put up for sale by other members of the Murphy family: it made a hefty 10.7 million, bought by Howard Holdings, who are expected to build very high-end homes here.

The market has shown a good appetite for houses in the 1.5 to 2 million category, so perhaps a modern take on the Lindville Blackrock type of houses will be built here, and Howards have already built large detacheds at this sort of finish, in Eyrecourt in Rochestown.

So, things are set to change in Cleve Hill, and change is afoot too for no 16, a four-bed semi in on the right hand side in need of the full refurbishment works.

Unlived in for nearly 20 years, the location is the key selling point here, says estate agent Timothy Sullivan, who pins a 500,000 price guide to the property, and then, depending on a buyer’s needs, a further 100,000 to 200,000 is likely to be spent in modernising.

Including the garage there’s about 1,600 sq ft in this semi, and there’s enough garden space left over to allow for extension: some neighbouring homes have already had substantial additions made to their basic but quite attractive original builds.

No 16 has two reception rooms, kitchen, scullery off, space set aside for a WC, and four overhead bedrooms plus bathroom. Time to get the imagination fired up, and the architects, engineers and builders in.