Ballycummin, a purpose-built village under construction just outside Limerick city, proved popular with buyers when its first 86 units were sold recently within eight days of the launch.
This £25 million residential development of detached houses, apartments, courtyard townhouses, village square townhouses, offices and shops make up a "village centre". It is located close to the Raheen industrial estate, where multinationals like Dell have considerable expansion plans, and is beside the new Annacotty to Adare Limerick bypass, currently under construction.
When complete, Bally cummin Village will include 170 housing units. Two and three-bedroom apartments with 850 to 900 sq ft are priced from £75,000 to £80,000.
Three and four-bedroom townhouses, which are three-storeyed and have circa 1,340 sq ft, cost from £90,000 to £100,000. Two-thirds of the townhouses have garage space, while the rest have access to an "adjacent secure parking area".
Detached three-bedroom houses start at £170,000, but these have planning permission for up to seven bedrooms and around 2,500 sq ft.
The houses are all three-storey structures, to allow greater open space and gardens. Floor-to-ceiling heights are a minimum of nine feet in all buildings.
According to Tim Walsh, managing director of Ballycummin Construction, "The design of the village is based on the best traditions of quality Irish village style, with steeply pitched slate roofs and painted facades in selected colours.
"Natural stone facades establish the importance of the village centre. All houses, townhouses and apartments are oriented to the south-east and south-west, while each residential unit has its own private outdoor space. Residents can also enjoy an open central landscaped and cobblelock village square, landscaped and well-lit roadways and quiet cul-de-sacs."
Ballycummin Construction sold the residential sites in the village to local builder Ger Clohessy of Skylark Ltd, but the company has retained lands for a neighbourhood shopping centre of 5,000 sq ft which is currently going through the planning process.
Ballycummin Village is located on a 10.5-acre site, with around two acres of this being open space in the village square. A management company to take care of open areas "will be established in due course" according to the developers.
The development also includes 12,000 sq ft of standalone office space in three storey blocks of around 1,800 sq ft. The remainder of the units will be launched over the next year and the village should be completed in around two-and-a-half years.
"The philosophy of the development," says Mr Walsh, "is to create a community-based development rather than anonymous suburban sprawl. We are endeavouring to give an identity and heart to a development rather than just provide living accommodation."
Mr Walsh is also planning two similar developments near Ballincollig in Co Cork and outside Ennis in Co Clare. He hopes his £15 million Ballincollig development will include between 140 and 150 units on a 14-acre site. Planning permission for this "will be applied for within eight weeks".
His proposed Ennis project is on a 50-acre site. This is a £20 million-plus development of 350 to 365 units and planning permission will be sought "in approximately six weeks".
