Latest news with #Dalkey
The Journal
10 hours ago
- General
- The Journal
Ireland's 'unluckiest house' refused planning permission for outdoor pool and jacuzzi
BAD LUCK HAS struck again for the exclusive Dalkey home on Sorrento Terrace which was once dubbed in the High Court the 'unluckiest' house in Ireland. This follows planners at Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council refusing planning permission to Sorrento HGT UC for a new outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi for Sorrento House at No 1 Sorrento Terrace overlooking Killiney Bay. The mystery owner or owners of the home paid out €10.65m for the property in 2021 and the planning decision has also turned down permission for a replacement garden studio in the extensive garden for the luxury home. The Council refused planning permission as ancillary development, such an the outdoor swimming pool and garden studio, are not permissible on open space grounds on such a property, which is a Protected Structure, and would materially contravene the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan. At the High Court in 2015, barrister, Rossa Fanning SC – now the Government's Attorney General – described Number 1 Sorrento Terrace as 'the unluckiest house in Ireland' as it had been involved in eight legal cases in a decade. No 1 Sorrento Terrace is the first of the eight houses on Sorrento Road where Sorrento Terrace is a row of four storey Victorian houses built from 1845 to the 1950's and all buildings along the terrace are Protected Structures In the planning report lodged with the Sorrento HGT UC application, planning consultants, Brock McClure state that the particular site 'is an appropriate location for outdoor swimming', pointing out that 'numerous homeowners in this locality enjoy similar amenity without undue impact on their environs'. The planning report states that the applicants 'recognise the exceptional amenity value of this location and it is their intention to fully repair and reinstate their garden in parallel with integrating the proposed new elements'. The planning report further states that 'the site's natural downward slope and topography effectively conceal the pool and plant room proposal, ensuring they remain discreet and minimizes any visual impact'. Advertisement The Brock McClure report stated that 'similarly, the replacement garden studio preserves the site's protective status by preventing further deterioration of the existing, damaged studio'. Sryan Bruen / Alamy Stock Photo Sryan Bruen / Alamy Stock Photo / Alamy Stock Photo On the approach to the new features, the report says 'it was essential to propose changes that would not detract from the house or its surroundings, especially given the site's high profile and significance within Dalkey'. 'A great deal of care and respect went into ensuring that the proposed works were subtle, in harmony with the existing landscape, and did not cause any harm to the site's setting'. The planning report also contended that the proposed development 'is overall minor in scale and has been carefully designed to be discreet, ensuring it integrates seamlessly into the surrounding environment'. They state that 'given its limited scope, there will be no significant impact on the protected structure or its surrounding context, maintaining the integrity of the site and its historical value'. The proposed swimming pool and jacuzzi were to be located to the southeast of the house situated at the perimeter of the managed garden above the rocky edge of the shoreline, the report said. '[The proposal] is not detrimental to the character of the house; rather, it will improve the external layout, to better suit contemporary family requirements'. 'The design enhances the functionality of the garden space while preserving the overall aesthetic and historical integrity of the property.' No 1 Sorrento Terrace has been subject to numerous planning applications and alterations over the past 20 or so years.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
‘He obviously decided that he'd wasted his life, focusing on career, marriage and family goals'
Sorcha tells me that I need to do something and obviously, I'm like, 'Er – as in?' Yeah, no, Angela – the wife of my brother slash half-brother – has been on the phone from the States and Sorcha is running out of excuses. I'm fixing breakfast for the boys when the dude eventually arrives downstairs in the company of a woman named Rowena, who wears leather trousers, has a smoker's cough and works – so she says – in, like, hospitality? She goes, 'I wouldn't say no to a coffee.' READ MORE And Sorcha's like, 'Well, if the walk of shame takes you through Dalkey village, I can recommend the Country Bake.' I love my wife, but – yeah, no – she can be colder than a witch's tit. Rowena, by the way, is the third random woman that Brett has brought home this week. 'So come on, tell us,' Sorcha goes – this is right in front of her, by the way – 'where did you meet this one?' It's Rowena who answers. She's like, 'Tinder,' and then the woman looks at me and sort of, like, narrows her eyes, like I do when I'm trying to add two numbers together, and goes, 'Do I know you from somewhere?' I'm there, 'If you're a rugby fan, then possibly?' She's like, 'No, nothing to do with rugby, no,' in her husky voice. 'Your face is just–' I put a cup of coffee in front of her, portly to shut her up, but also because it's nice to be nice. Sorcha goes, 'Brett, Angela has been ringing – as in, like, your wife?' I think she's expecting a reaction form Rowena to the news that he's married. But she doesn't respond in any way. Just sips her coffee. It's not her first rodeo. I'm there, 'No, I'm most definitely not on the apps,' except at the same time I can feel my face flush? — Ross Sorcha goes, 'She said she's been trying your cell.' He's there, 'I lost my cell.' Sorcha's like, 'How can you be on Tinder if you've lost your cell?' Very little gets past her. Twenty years of being married to me will do that to you. Rowena goes, 'That's how I know your face! Are you on the apps?' I'm there, 'No, I'm most definitely not on the apps,' except at the same time I can feel my face flush? She's like, 'We've definitely met.' Brian, Johnny and Leo are unusually quiet. They're just, like, staring at this woman, open-mouthed. Johnny is actually looking at her chest. Like father, like son, I'm hugely tempted to say. Sorcha cops it too. She goes, 'Johnny, eat your cereal,' and then, at the same time, she gestures to me with her eyes that she wants a word in, like, private? Thirty seconds later, we're outside in the gorden and Sorcha is going, 'Ross, what the actual fock?' I'm there, 'Yeah, no, I'll tell him to go. I'll tell him that we don't approve of this kind of behaviour under our roof,' at the same time hating myself for sounding like Sorcha's old man. She goes, 'Ross, what did you say to him?' I'm there, 'Excuse me?' because I knew I'd end up getting the blame for this. She's like, 'The way he's carrying on, Ross, it's very – I don't even want to say it – but very you behaviour?' I'm there, 'I knew I'd end up being blamed.' She goes, 'It's not a question of blame. I'm just asking, what did you do to encourage this?' I'm like, 'Fock-all, Sorcha. And I mean that literally. The goys – we're talking Christian, we're talking JP, we're talking Oisinn, we're talking, in fairness, Fionn – may have told him some stories about my carry-on over the years in terms of rugby and in terms of – yeah, no – the deadlier of the species. And Brett, who may have already been in, like, midlife crisis mode, decided that I was – yeah, no – some kind of, like, role model to him?' Sorcha goes, 'Oh, Jesus – God help him.' It's nice to see that Sorcha – while being a very, very good person – remains, at hort, an out-and-out south Dublin snob I'm like, 'Excuse me?' because it sounded like a bit of a dig. She's there, 'I just mean – actually, I don't know what I mean? But this can't continue. It was Amory on Saturday night, Summer on Wednesday night and, I don't know, what did she say her name was?' I'm there, 'Rowena,' a little too quickly for Sorcha's liking. 'She said she works in, like, hospitality?' She's like, 'Rowena – whatever. With her leather trousers and a focking black bra showing through a white shirt.' And it's nice to see that Sorcha – while being a very, very good person – remains, at hort, an out-and-out south Dublin snob. She goes, 'Ross, you have to talk to him.' I'm there, 'Excuse me?' She's like, 'Ross, he's only in Ireland because of you. You were the one who–' I'm there, 'Don't say it. Do not say it.' She's like, 'I'm going to say it, Ross. You corrupted him.' I go, 'I didn't corrupt him? Like I said, the goys made me out to be some kind of absolute rugby legend and he obviously decided that he'd wasted his life, focusing on career, marriage and family goals.' She's like, 'Ross, even without being directly responsible, you basically caused this? You're going to have to talk to him and tell him that this can't continue.' So – yeah, no – no choice in the matter, I end up agreeing to have a word with the dude. So we tip back into the kitchen. I could be wrong but it looks like Rowena has undone another shirt button. I'm there, 'Dude, all that shit the goys told you about my rugby career–' He goes, 'It was inspiring.' I'm like, 'Yes, I accept that. But no good can come of you trying to live like me.' He's there, 'Why not? I mean, look at you!' It's lovely for me to hear. I'm there, 'That's lovely for me to hear. But you have everything going for you back in the States, in terms of – yeah, no – a hot wife, a beautiful home, a couple of, in fairness, kids–' He cuts me off. He's like, 'Well, maybe I don't want that any more. Maybe that's not the end of the rainbow for me.' I'm there, 'Oh, you're telling me that's the end of your rainbow,' flicking my thumb in Rowena's general postcode and hating myself for it. 'Dude, that woman is not the end of anyone's rainbow.' Rowena goes, 'Oh my God, I remembered how I know you now. I was with you a few years ago – when you crashed the porty for the closing of the Berkeley Court?' And I'm like, 'Sorcha, we were almost certainly on a break at the time.'
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
In the heart of Dalkey: modern duplex living for €695,000
Address : 1 Castle Mews, Castle Street, Dalkey, Co Dublin Price : €695,000 Agent : Hunters View this property on The design of Castle Mews on Castle Street in Dalkey allows owners in the complex to enjoy all the benefits of living slap-bang in the middle of the village, without feeling like they are on show. The ground floor of the development is slightly elevated at street level, so while the residents can look out, nobody can look in. Number 1, a three-bed duplex, has come to the market through Hunters with a guide price of €695,000. At 94sq m (1,011sq ft), it is the largest property at Castle Mews, which has 13 units, a mix of apartments and duplexes. It is also one of the few homes on the scheme that has its own front door from the street. The Dalkey development was built 20 years ago, and the owner bought number 1 about 10 years ago. He rented it out for a few years while working in the US and when he returned last year, he decided it was time for a full renovation. Livingroom Dining area Kitchen It is now features engineered walnut floors throughout, three newly fitted bathrooms and a contemporary kitchen. For new owners it will be a case of unpacking and settling straight into life in the south Dublin seaside village. READ MORE The entrance to the duplex is on Castle Street with steps leading up to the front door. To one side of the hall is the livingroom, which is at the corner of the block creating a nice bright room, with an electric fire and acoustic wall panelling. There is a guest WC off the hallway, and across from the livingroom is the kitchen and dining area. The units in the kitchen are matt black and have marble-effect countertops that wrap around the room with a breakfast bar at the end. The dining area is beside two windows and is large enough to comfortably fit a table that seats six. Main bedroom Home office Communal terrace Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a bathroom. The main bedroom also has the corner aspect so it is bright and spacious, but comes with blackout electric blinds to ensure an uninterrupted sleep. The balcony off the room is the perfect spot for morning coffee, and the en-suite bathroom is fully tiled with Porcelanosa tiles and has a walk-in shower with matt-black fittings. The second bedroom is also a double room and the third has been fitted out as a home office. The main bathroom has a bath with fixed showerhead and is also tiled in Porcelanosa. [ Contemporary Foxrock three-bed with converted garage for €895,000 Opens in new window ] As well as the balcony, the duplex has access to a communal terrace with a southeast aspect. This is well maintained by the management company, with residents paying an annual fee of about €4,450 for the upkeep of the development. Number 1 has a C1 energy rating and comes with two secure parking spaces in the underground car park. The location in the centre of Dalkey village is hard to beat. You step out the front door and into the action, with Castle Mews just seconds away from restaurants, cafes and pubs. The Dart station is a five-minute walk away and the stop for the Aircoach is directly across the street.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Stunning sea views at Dalkey apartment that has hosted film stars, for €1.295m
Address : 1 Sorrento Heights, Dalkey, Co Dublin Price : €1,295,000 Agent : DNG Dún Laoghaire View this property on Perched at the foot of Killiney Hill with unsurpassed views of the sea, this three-bedroom apartment at Sorrento Heights in Dalkey should attract keen interest. It offers a wonderful aspect as the end-terrace unit in the 1979 development, which is a quiet, well-maintained complex: age has only improved things around here. A warren of steps and terraces leads up from a parking bay and lovely communal garden to the front door of number 1. Once inside, the 120sq m (1,298sq ft) apartment opens into a small lobby beside the kitchen, which is sleek and stylish. Beyond it lie the living and dining areas but with such prepossessing sea views, it's more than possible to zip through the living space without noticing anything bar the deep blue slices of sea and sky dominating everything. Apartment exterior Kitchen Living area Dining area The kitchen to the rear of the apartment, overlooking the communal garden, is very much a chef's domain, with walnut countertops and a sleek wall of units extending to the ceiling that contain laundry appliances and a pull-out pantry. READ MORE It features a Miele six-ring electric hob, stainless steel splashbacks and an island at its end that the owner says is the first port of call for guests when he frequently entertains. It's a home that suits entertaining, with steps that descend from the kitchen to the living area, where an L-shaped leather sofa faces a cream-tiled fireplace. Minima redesigned the apartment and the furniture in the early 2000s and it's a testament to the quality of the design that everything still looks fresh. The Ber is a C2 and it has gas central heating. Further updates, such as the leather bench in the deep picture window, were provided by production companies that rented the apartment for film stars on location in Dublin , but as to who stayed here, the owner's lips are sealed. A long dining table is the best spot in this room, below the large window from which both Kish and Muglins lighthouses are visible, punctuating the glittering sea. Dalkey Island lies just below the apartment, and the owner often gets to enjoy the sight of seals basking on its rocky shores. Main bedroom Main en suite Second bedroom Bathroom Terrace of third bedroom View from terrace Communal terrace Terrace outside apartment Two years ago, the owner had the two bathrooms redone and the bedrooms freshened up, so this is an apartment in walk-in condition. The main bedroom is airy and spacious and benefits from supreme sea views. The en suite was transformed into a hotel-level bathroom and a mirror cleverly positioned behind the bed keeps the stunning sea views always in sight. Behind the main bedroom is a guest double with fitted wardrobes, another bathroom with a J-shaped bath and a further bedroom. This would make a perfect home office as it has an outside terrace and gets the westerly sun from noon until evening. Again the views here are spectacular, with Bray Head and the Sugar Loaf shimmering in the distance on a summer's day. There's plenty of storage within the apartment and some lockable sheds outside it, so there's no shortage of space for storing bikes or gear. It's a convivial development with some lovely open spaces, including a herb garden and smart communal terraces overlooking the sea. Dalkey village is a seven-minute walk away, the Vico swimming spot is around the corner on Vico road and Killiney beach is a little further on. Number 1 Sorrento Heights is on the market with DNG Dún Laoghaire , seeking €1.295 million.
Irish Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
New Castlepark Manor scheme in Dalkey with apartments from €750,000 and houses from €1.75m
When motor dealer Frank Keane's Dalkey home was put up for sale in 2018, it was thought unlikely that the house and its one-acre garden would become the subject of a redevelopment, owing to the lack of access to the Richmond site. Fast-forward seven years, and that access issue has been resolved following the demolition of the original house and its replacement with Castlepark Manor, which will be a scheme of 10 houses and 14 apartments when complete. Designed by Tyler Owens Architects, the original house has been knocked and Castlepark Manor is being built on the plot that backs on to Hyde Park. Construction is well under way at the development and the 10 houses are all close to shell stage. The floors of the apartments have been poured, and it is expected that Castlepark Manor will be complete by May next year. Three houses and four apartments at the scheme have just been released on to the market through agent Vincent Finnegan. The houses range in price from €1.75 million to €2.25 million, and the apartments are from €750,000 up to €1.525 million for the penthouses. Computer-generated image of two-storey house types Computer-generated image of streetscape Computer-generated image of the exterior of houses Computer-generated image of houses with balconies The semidetached houses differ in size and elevation. The smallest is a three-bedroom house over two storeys. There are also three- and four-bedroom house types set out over three levels, and the largest are four-bedroom properties with four floors of living space. READ MORE The living areas in the houses are open plan and the bedrooms are en suite. Balconies, gardens and barbecue areas will be a feature of all of the new homes, with sizes depending on where on the site the property is situated. The 14 apartments will be housed in a four-storey block at the entrance to the development. There are one-, two- and three-bedroom units on offer. The two penthouse apartments have three bedrooms and a study, along with outdoor terraces. There are also some two-bedroom types that have a library or study, and a one-bedroom apartment with an office. The fittings will be high-end with kitchens and bespoke joinery by Michael Farrell, appliances will be by Gaggenau and Blanco, and Kahrs engineered oak floors will be fitted in the living areas. Windows and doors will be Crittal-style Aluclad by Carlson and the main entrance doors will be composite for extra security and durability. The energy-efficient homes will have smart technology installed, and each property is being built with high levels of insulation and airtightness. The location is quiet and residential with schools such as Castle Park and Loreto within walking distance. Dalkey village is less than 10 minutes away on foot and a walk to the Dart station will take 15 minutes.
