Citywest masterplan gathers pace

A MASTERPLAN to create a traditional residential village in Citywest Business Campus is gathering pace, after the recent launch of Citywest Village.

Developers Davy Hickey established the campus in 1990 to create “an environment where business can thrive”, and the site has grown exponentially over the years with an impressive list of multinationals.

Brendan Hickey famously planted 70,000 trees, and put in fish and trout to the lakes before any buildings were built in the estate – to create the requisite business environment.

As part of the overall masterplan for the park, Davy Hickey recently launched Citywest Village, which will include 339 homes and townhouses, designed to be reminiscent of villages such as Sandymount, Ranelagh and Drumcondra.

The scheme was launched earlier this month with 12 show houses and deposits were taken for the initial phase of 40 units, which will be delivered between summer and next spring.

Speaking recently, Karl Byrne, associate director at Cushman & Wakefield, described the residential development as a “critical addition” to the Citywest estate.

“It’s definitely going to be an attraction,” he said.

“For example, accommodation is one of the main concerns that companies have when they consider Dublin from a Brexit point of view.”

The first phase launch of the long-planned residential element, coincides with new speculative office developments at the estate, including 3009 Lake Drive – a three storey 4,900 sq metre building set for completion next month.

With companies like German software giants SAP recently acquiring an entire 5,100 sq metre building in Waterside, and scope for further developments throughout the campus, the future is looking bright for Citywest.

Paul Finucane, director of business space at Colliers International, told the Sunday Times that the park was appealing for many employers as rents are less than half that of the equivalent price in the city centre. 

“It’s an established and very well managed estate that boasts a very good quality international tenant line up,” he said.

“It’s got good public transport links and a good car parking ratio. For many multinational companies, they need to know what they are getting and that the landlord is reputable. I think the proof is in the quality of the tenants in the park and how long they have stayed there.”