A prime site in the village of Foxrock is to be developed with apartments - and they're keeping the trees. Property Editor Orna Mulcahy.

Foxrock empty-nesters form an orderly queue: developer David Arnold is about to lodge plans for a scheme of large and luxurious apartments in the heart of the village, and already residents have been putting their names on the waiting list.

The development of 37 apartments, with some shop units at street level, is on the site of Gortanore on Brighton Road, a three-acre property which Arnold's investment company D2 Private purchased last year for a record €31 million.

The plans will shortly be lodged with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, though Arnold expects that it could be up to a year before building work begins.

D2 Private is not discussing prices at this stage, but with site costs alone close to €1 million per unit, the apartments will be among the most expensive in Dublin.

Gortanore, which adjoins the run of shops in the centre of the village, has scores of matures trees which are to be kept in the plan. Two brick and granite-fronted buildings will flank the entrance to the development on Brighton Road, with the majority of the apartments in a long curved building at the back of the site surrounded by over two acres of grounds with car-parking underground.

The design, by O'Mahony Pike Architects, will be seen as a daring departure for Foxrock, where developers tend to slavishly reproduce the Edwardian style that dominates the neighbourhood.

Lengthy consultation with the planners resulted in a substantial scaling back of the of the development - D2 originally planned 60 units - to minimise the impact on the village which since the sale has been designated a special conservation area.

The apartments will be far larger than average with sizes of between 167 to 279sq m (1,800-3,000sq ft) - the size of a very large five-bedroom house.

Three-metre ceiling heights, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies on two sides, working fireplaces and lock-up cellars and storage will be features of the development which D2 Private says will appeal to people who spend a lot of time abroad in luxury resorts with high standards of service. The scheme will be protected by electronic gates and will have a full-time concierge.

"What we are adding to the fantastic location is a level of design, spec and services that people haven't yet seen in Ireland," says Anthony Sweetman of D2 Private, who has worked on high-end developments in the Caribbean and London.

"There is very little suitable property for people to trade down to in Foxrock," says David Arnold, who himself lives in the area, but spends a good deal of his time in Portugal.

"People want to have a decent amount of living space. They want the garden that they have been used to and they want to hold onto that neighbourly feel of just being able to walk to the shops, go out for a meal and talk to people."

One oddity of the plan is a single-storey building in the grounds which will house a small fitness centre and "conference facilities" for those residents who want to hold meetings.

This might well turn out to be the most exclusive residents association venue in town, should it survive the planning process.