Just as the west Dublin village of Saggart has been identified as a new growth area, the Clondalkin Group is to sell 47 acres of housing land, expected to accommodate about 700 starter homes.
Pat Nolan of Hamilton Osborne King is quoting in excess of £20 million for the site, which is on the edge of a village that has seen little development in recent years.
Several housebuilders concentrating on the first-time buyers market are likely to be in competition for the land, known as Swiftbrook, which is to be sold by tender next month in either one or two lots.
Saggart has been designated a Strategic Development Zone in the area action plan prepared by South Dublin Co Council. This will allow development to proceed without reference to An Bord Pleanala, provided the scheme is in line with the area action plan. The latest Bacon report also identified the Swifbrook lands as ideal for large scale housing development of this type.
Saggart's population of about 600 is expected to rise to about 2,500 within five years. The county council's guidelines suggest "that the greatest efficiency" in the use of lands identified in the action plan would be achieved by providing densities in the general range of 14 to 20 per acre.
In order to achieve this, it recommends controls and safeguards to ensure a high quality of design and layout and a good quality living environment. The planners will also be encouraging developers to provide a varied range of house types and sizes.
New mains water and sewerage services are due to be available from the end of 2001, according to the selling agents.
Saggart is strategically located between the Naas Road and the Blessington Road, a little over three miles from both the M50 and Tallaght town centre. It is even closer to Citywest, Dublin's most successful business park, which has attracted a range of Irish and international high tech companies.
The Saggart land includes the Swiftbrook Paper Mill which was founded in 1796, taking its name from Jonathan Swift, who once lived in the area. The mill and land has been owned by the Clondalkin Group since the 1960s.
