Spacious sites and prime locations give east Cork cottages extra appeal

HAVING too much ground around you can sometimes be as much of a liability as a blessing: it can sound the death knell of a modest building in cases where the ground is worth more than the dwelling.

That may be the case in two sales coming up just east of Cork city, in Glanmire and in Glounthane.

In salubrious Annmount, Glounthaune, estate agent Michael Downey of ERA Downey McCarthy is selling a solid but dated, extended single-storey, three-bedroom cottage on an acre site. It’s already a grand example of the modest cottage species, and needs modernisation at the very least, but its fate may be more grievous than that.

It sits on a full acre, south-facing with elevated views over Glounthaune beneath, and out over the reaches of Cork harbour and the Lee estuary beyond.

Detached houses in the successful Lane Builders scheme Cois Cuain nearby sell for up to and over the €1 million mark, and there’s no shortage of money looking for good one-off sites in the hinterland.

Mr Downey of ERA seeks offers around €550,000. Prospective buyers will look at the option of renovation, getting permission for a second dwelling or a larger replacement dwelling on the site.

Meanwhile, closer to Cork city, estate agent Dennis Guerin of Frank V Murphy & Co quotes an asking price of €495,000 for Glen Cottage in Janemount, Glanmire.

This bungalow/cottage of just over 900 sq ft is detached, on a site of two-thirds of an acre. Like its Glounthaune equivalent, it is a three-bedroom property which also needs significant upgrading, though its fate is more likely to be as a knock-down job.

Mr Guerin stresses its development potential, with road frontage of 94 ft and depth of 340 sq ft.

The existing property, off the Castlepark Road, has an east/west aspect, and easy proximity to the city and Lee tunnel.