THE ‘SENTINEL’ BUILDING in Sandyford, one of the most iconic symbols of Ireland’s property crash, will house almost 300 office ‘suites’ once it is finally completed.
Construction on the 14-storey office block started in 2007, however work was abandoned during the recession. The incomplete shell of the building has towered over the Dublin suburb since.
However Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown council has now approved a plan by the Dante Property Company, on offshoot of the Comer Group, to develop the building.
The project will see the completion of the internal floor space, which will consist of 294 office suites and 28 meeting rooms.
It will also provide two additional floors, spanning a combined 1,490 sq m, to the six-storey block that adjoins the main 14 storey-structure and provide a ground floor restaurant/cafe.
It has been reported that the office suites are intended to be ‘live-work’ spaces. ‘Live-work’ units tend to differ from regular apartments in that they feature both a workspace and separate residential facilities.
This allows them to operate as a stand-alone office space to accommodate employees if needed. This type of accommodation is typically pitched at small start-up businesses and those working to overseas schedules.
However, it is not clear from the planning documents exactly what facilities the ‘office suites’ will include, or if they will offer residential space. Fora contacted the Comer Group for clarification, however we did not receive an immediate response.
Work stopped
Cork developer John Fleming, one of Ireland’s biggest builders during the boom, was the one who started work on the Sentinel building through his Tivway company.
Once the recession hit, the firm struggled with high debt. An examiner was appointed to Tivway in 2009, followed by a liquidator when it was deemed that the business was unviable.
When the examiner was appointed, construction of the Sentinel building stopped. The Comer brothers, two of Ireland’s richest and most successful builders, bought the Sentinel in 2011 for just under €1 million.
Sandyford has seen a huge surge in development over the past few years, with hundreds of rental units coming on stream.
The area has also set a new benchmark for rent in the city, with a recent development pricing its three-bedroom units at €2,750 a month.
Written by Paul O’Donoghue and posted on Fora.ie
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