High spec in centre of city

Tommy Barker says Langford Hall apartments will suit owner occupiers.

THERE’S a still a few cracking development sites left in Cork’s inner suburbs, but you have to search.

You’ll see a few unusual, remaining plots from the rooftops of the just-built Langford Hall, and the views, in any case, are so interesting it would repay time strolling through this new market launch just to catch them.

One of the great sites is Capwell bus station, on Southern Road, should it ever occur to CIE/Bus Éireann to relocate to the edge of the city rather than having acres so close to the core. Then again, it took CIE 15 years to get Horgan’s Quay into gear ... Don’t wait for the busses, in other words.

Langford Hall’s own site was a slow-train coming too, with a long, drawn out wait for planning, despite the fact the site was a derelict petrol station, in a profile corner setting.

It is at the junction of Douglas Street and Langford Road, opposite High Street, 100 yards from the South Infirmary/Victoria hospital. Convenient, in other words. It would have been easy to throw up cheap and cheerful (read cheerless) apartments, here, relying in investor appeal, but the developers sensibly went for a higher spec and size of unit to give a sound appeal to owner occupiers. Which is where the market is primarily, right now, so their timing is quite fortuitous.

Selling agent is Trish Stokes, of Sherry FitzGerald’s new homes divisions, who says there are only eleven apartments in total, a mix of one- and two-beds, in this four-storey, over-ground-floor commercial building (the ground-floor is going for medical uses, given proximity to hospitals).

There are only two other one-beds, priced from €315,00 for units of 530 and 590 sq ft, and the two-beds range upwards of 823 sq ft through 1,044 sq ft (and from €385,000 and well into the €400,000s). The top offering is a stunner, a two-bed of 1,300 sq ft with a great run of balcony space and the very best of views, and it is not currently available. Parking spaces will be a further €50,000 or so each.

Design of the roadside building, which follows the curve of the street corner, is by Reddy O’Riordan Staehli architects, who are also responsible for the interior design, and the sense of cohesion of contemporary interior/exterior appearance is immediately evident. RORSA Architects also did the stunning St John’s Central College extension, which occupies much of the rear view from the Langford Hall block, with its Mondrian-like colourful wall panels.

Each apartment purchase price brings loads of high quality extras, so owners will just need to buy their bed, sofa and little else, says Ms Stokes. The extras include impressive, glossy, German Leicht kitchens, with branded appliances, trendy, wall-mounted gas fires, floors are walnut or good tiles and plush carpets; wiring is in place for surround sound and wall alcoves are left for large plasma TV screens, while bathrooms are bang-up-to-the minute, with a mix of wet rooms or small corner baths, showers are pumped, and, again, tiling is done to a high, hotel-like quality.

Bedrooms have lots of built-ins, and, even though most of the units don’t have utility rooms or individual stores, as recommended in the latest apartment designs, there’s definitely a feeling you could buy here and live here, as opposed to just pass through.

With advice out this week from Sherry FitzGerald’ s economist, Marian Finnegan, that Cork is one of the few places where investors can buy to let and have the investment cover their own costs (rents here would be in the order of €1,400 a month for a two-bed), it might be one of the few schemes where both category of buyers come to the fore. Viewing Sunday, 2.30pm to 4.30pm, will give a feel for who’s keenest.