Bishopstown, Cork, €325,000

The four houses in Cork’s Limewood Court were meant to be a calling card for a far-larger Bishopstown scheme of houses, back in 2008 — but, the recession put paid to those plans.

The site assembled for a scheme to be called ‘The Courtyard’ is still parked.

Six years on after property slump and slowdown the four houses first offered in 2008 (and at prices close to €575,000,) are back for sale, having been rented out in the interim.

With four-bedroom and 1,550 sq ft in all, they started viewings early in December with agent Johnny O’Flynn of Sherry FitzGerald, guiding €325,000 each, and he’s No 1 sale agreed at that sum, another No 4 gone at €317,000, and now has just two more to sell.

Design is by Frank Ennis Associates, who more usually did hotel and bar interiors: the connection is possibly because the developers were the Kelleher family, who redeveloped the Bishopstown Bar in the early 2000s. They began to assemble a site on c two acres between the Bishopstown Road and Curraheen Road, behind Hawkes Road, and built this four separately. In two sets of semis, on Curraheen Road, they stand on their merits, with high end finishes inside, cobbled communal front drive and south-facing back gardens.

Features include walnut floors, good bathrooms with pressurised systems, integrated appliances in high-gloss kitchens with granite tops, and two of the four bedrooms are en suite.

VERDICT: Precious little new stock anywhere near Bishopstown.