DECADES ago, when Treetops was built in Cork’s Rochestown, gardens and plots were generously sized — this detached bungalow, about 50 year old, is on a promising 1.3 acres, right on Clarke’s Hill.
Treetops, on 1.3 acres, is on Clarke’s Hill, near the 850 home scheme Mount Oval Village
And, since it was built as a one-off, over 1,000 new homes have crowded in on and off Clarke’s Hill, including O’Flynn Group’s approximately 850 homes in Mount Oval, Monswood, and Belmont, and more again such as those at Foxwood at Garryduff.
Mount Oval Village, Rochestown, pictured in 2005 by Richard Mills
One thing’s for sure: Detached homes on acre-plus sites are a rarity at this setting on the edge of Douglas with services having followed, including a new national school, Scoil Phádraig Naofa.
Also a rarity is the presence of a long-derelict old cottage its private grounds, with scope for a second dwelling, or other uses, subject to planning.
Reflective of its time, design-wise, Treetops is a single-storey home with part stone trim on the facade by one of its two front entry points. After the addition a decade or two ago of a sunroom on the western gable it now stretches to a bit over 2,000 sq ft, with its five bedrooms all to the rear, none of them en suite.
With a westerly front aspect, it has two linked reception rooms left of the main hall door with gable end sliding door to the gardens, dated kitchen to the right, linking to a flat-roofed second reception and laundry/utility (and second front entrance) and the adjacent sun room with vaulted ceiling.
The access is on the left going up Clarke’s Hill, with the derelict cottage also near the road, and the 1.3 acres is close to a proposed 100-bed nursing home and up to 50 independent living units ina mix of apartment blocks and townhouses on 7.2 acre bought by nursing home group Aperee five years ago.
Clarke’s Hill site for sale via Savills adjoins Treetops
Aperee’s proposed €25m mixed-use development hit financial obstacles and the 7.2 acre site, including a 1970s detached family home in poor condition, went back up for sale in June, guiding at €3.75m.
Treetops
The sales pitch in June for the adjoining multi-million euro land held out the prospect of a new nursing home operator taking up the reins once more, and, given the location, house-builder interest was also anticipated.
Selling agent for Treetops is Brian Olden of Cohalan Downing and he guides at €725,000, expecting trade-up interest in the main, from those who’d do a major overhaul, as well as those who may plan further development on the 1.3 acres, either via the derelict cottage or on a slightly more ambitious level.
Might those looking at the 7.2 acre development site beneath it come for a look-see here and seek to add to the scope with a larger area — about 8.5 acres if combined?
VERDICT: Quite a valuable offer for lots of reasons.
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