WHETHER YOU’RE AN established homeowner or you’re hunting for a new place, it’s always worth staying on top of developments, vital news and changing trends in Irish real estate.
Each Friday, we collect five of the week’s most significant stories from the property world in one place, to keep you informed – and to ensure you have something to make small talk about at house viewings.
Here’s what’s been going on this week…
1. Dublin is ‘oversaturated’ with hotels, say conservationists
Conservation charity An Taisce claims Dublin is overrun with new hotel builds as a result of a ‘perceived need’ to fill a shortfall of temporary accommodation, and says current city-centre planning is ‘unsustainable’.
An Taisce made the statement in a letter to Dublin City Council, as part of its argument against a proposed eight-storey 218-bedroom hotel development at the junction of Jervis St and Abbey St.
2. Report calls for new ‘household charge’ to cover all devices, not just TVs
A new Oireachtas report has recommended that the TV licence fee be replaced with a broadcasting charge for every household ‘consuming media, regardless of the technology used’.
The proposed charge was shelved back in 2015, but could now be back on the table. This would mean any household with a device that can view public service content like TV, radio, websites or RTÉ Player will be subject to the fee.
3. Development of 650 houses near Bray halted by locals (and pigeon shooters)
A massive proposed development of more than 650 housing units in Wicklow has got a red light after several appeals from locals. Wicklow County Council initially gave Cosgrave Property Group permission to develop on a 48-hectare site between Bray and Enniskerry, but the permission has since been denied by An Bord Pleanála.
Among those to appeal were members of Bray Clay Pigeon Club, which is located near to where the proposed development would go ahead.
4. Have an email from Irish Water asking for bank details? It’s a scam
Irish Water has warned its customers to be vigilant after a number of customers reported a phishing scam looking for customers’ bank details over email. Some customers have received emails claiming to be from Irish Water with the subject line ‘Your Irish Water Account – Action required’.
With 90 per cent of water charge refunds potentially set to arrive in the coming weeks, an email of this kind might not seem out of the ordinary to some, but Irish Water says it would “never ask customers to update personal banking information in this way.”
5. What can be recycled? Government publishes first national list
Whether you’re a homeowner, a landlord or a renter, knowing what can be recycled and which bin to use can be confusing at times. With that in mind, the government has compiled a definitive list of recyclable items - the first single national standard list of recyclable items.
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten said that he hoped the list would remove the confusion and improve “the quality of the material that goes in the recycle bin”.
We’re breaking down the complicated world of property jargon, one buzzword at a time. This week, it’s clerestory windows: large windows or a series of small windows along the top of a structure’s wall. This type of design allows for light to illuminate large rooms from above – or it can bring existing windows up to ceiling level, as with Dunmore House in Cork, featured in our Property Magazine this week.
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