The Redemptorist Congregation's lands at Orwell Road may eventually accommodate around 300 homes, a public park and a new monastery, writes Jack Fagan
The 8.1-acre grounds of the Redemptorist Congregation at Orwell Road in Rathgar, Dublin 6, is to be substantially redeveloped to accommodate a smaller monastery and at least 300 houses and apartments which will be offered for sale on the open market. It is also planned to allocate a quarter of the entire grounds for use as a public park.
The order has placed an advertisement in The Irish Times today inviting property developers with a good track record to indicate whether they are interested in embarking on a joint venture at Marianella where the congregation has been based since the 1930s.
The tendering process will be overseen by the Redemptorists' property consultants and legal advisers, WK Nowlan & Associates and McCann Fitz-Gerald.
Architects O'Mahony Pike is to prepare a master plan for the entire site which will provide for a smaller monastery and chapel to meet the community's needs.
Although the site to be allocated for the housing could accommodate substantially more than 300 homes, the master plan will propose that the new development should not exceed the height of the existing buildings.
The Marianella grounds could have been valued at around €10 million an acre in the boom conditions of two years ago but, with the stand off in the new homes market continuing and no end in sight to the credit squeeze, the expectation is that the price has probably fallen to €7 million or €8 million an acre.
However, the Redemptorists probably take the view that the preparation of the master plan and the subsequent application for planning permission will take the best part of two years - by which time the market will hopefully have recovered.
Orwell Road has considerable appeal as a residential area with two-bedroom apartments there likely to sell for €600,000 to €700,000 while three-bedroom townhouses could make anything from €800,000 to €1 million.
Out of a possible 300 homes, 60 will have to be set aside for social and affordable owners. Although no final figures have yet been assembled, the expectation is that the monastery and chapel will cost around €10 million to build.
The Redemptorists say that, as they will be remaining on-site - alongside the residents of the new houses and apartments - they will be committed to ensuring both the quality and timely delivery of the overall project.
They plan to use a careful selection process to ensure that the chosen development partner has a track record of professionalism and build quality, and they will also be actively involved in the design and monitoring of the project.
Bill Nowlan, the project director who is advising the Redemptorist Congregation, said that the two parties would be equal partners in this arrangement.
The developer was expected to bring to the partnership a knowledge of the residential and development market in the Rathgar area, and an ability to construct or arrange construction of the new monastery and private residences.
The developer was also required to have the financial and managerial resources to manage and pay for the formal planning and design process. They would also have to temporarily fund the new monastery.
For their part, the order would make the development land available to a partner who would not have to pay for the land upfront.
They would also provide a visionary master plan and a commitment to a quality campus which they would live in with their new neighbours.
A feature of the new monastery will be its eco-friendly design prepared by OMP Architects with the aim of the Redemptorists to have an "A" rating carbon footprint.
The proceeds from the planned joint venture will be committed to developing the order's pastoral work and resources in its various centres through Ireland.
It also plans to increase the number of qualified and salaried lay people who will work with the order in its ministry and in providing adequate care for the growing number of elderly and ill priests and brothers.
