Liffey Valley Park

vinhayes

Hi all,

Just recently got approved for mortgage and have been looking at houses in Liffey Valley Park, Lucan.

I'm looking for some honest opinions on the area ie goods for kids, gangs hang around etc. I've been up the area a few times but would like opinions from people who live or know the area.

All comments appreciated.

Thanks

lord lucan

Seems a nice estate. I live in the estate across the road,Mt. Andrew. It's a similar age as my estate and fairly well settled now. Handy spot,Liffey Valley SC up the road,there's a Eurospar and Lidl up the road and the Penny Hill pub. Fonthill Retail Park is around the corner too.

vinhayes

Cheers LordLucan

All other opinions greatly appreciated

thanks again

blueyedson

Its a grand estate, nice and settled and looked after by residents, kids are ok.

I think 90% of the roads are well kept,there are one or 2 you can see from driving down that the occupiers down fix up brken walls etc, I personally wouldn;t like to live on a row like that ,but as I say most roads are good.

anewme

Lived here for 7 years. Bought my house from new and am gone 3 years now. Very large amount of rented properties. Actually, when I sold my house, it ended up being a rental (Eastern Health Board stuck a card in my door before I was even gone:mad:)

One day someone had huge pots of stew or something boiling away in the front garden 2 doors up and that was breaking point for me and I decided to sell up.


On the good side, I never had any issues with gangs hanging around or such like, it is not that kind of estate. Drove back in recently and was pleasently surprised with the main road (Avenue), it looks like the residents association have instilled a bit of pride back to the area and perhaps a sense of community. Some of the roads still did not look great though, the road near to the Mosque springs to mind. It is quite central for town, liffey valley, Eurospar etc up the road, so from that point of view, it was grand.

Would I live there again. No, it was not for me. Would I recommend it. Tough one. Depends on what you are looking for. And of course taking price into consideration. If a close family member asked me for my honest opinion that they were going to buy there, I would have to say no.

Just to add, when I sold it was a great area for rentals - perhaps with the demise of the celtic tiger more of these houses are coming back to being family owned homes. I hope it does turn out that way, there were some nice people there.

I dont mean to offend anyone, but buying a house is such a big commitment that I would rather be honest.

vinhayes

thanks anewme

much appreciated. Kind of what I thought the area was like. Doesn't sound bad especially considering the price and location.

Just curious though why you were offended by your neighbours making stew in their garden. Surely it can't be much different from a BBQ

anewme

No problem. The stew incident was the last in a long line of things that I did not like. I don't know if it was stew, it was some kind of stew or curry or chilli and it was in huge kind of like cauldrons, not just pots like you would have at home, but big massive pots you would see in a hotel or hospital something like that. I did not actually see anyone having a party or anything, more just pots of stuff left out. The pots were not cleaned, but left in the front garden going rusty for weeks. Most people when they have a barbeque, have it in the back garden and tidy up afterwards.

Before that, someones car engine going on fire and car dumped outside my house for 6 months, grass verges not cut, cars parked on grass verges wrecking the grass, washing hung out the top front windows, shoes out on windowsills, satellite dishes stuck directly over the front door with wires everywhere, not closing the top of the bins properly and crows dragging rubbish all around, but not cleaning up, knocking down the pillars and not fixing them. Somebody running a used car lot from their front garden -cars parked up in the garden (on grass) - Had to get guards for that one. Probably lots more but i just cant think of them now.

I also found the area a bit transient, out of say, 30 houses on my road, by the time I moved only 4 houses out of the original 30 had not been sold or rented out at least once, so it was hard to know who even lived on the road. Obviously, houses are not selling at the rate they once were and rents not as good, so maybe this is not as bad any more, certainly the main road looked a lot cleaner when I drove in recently.

All of these incidents did not happen together and not all by the one person, but overall it gave the area a tatty run down feel, like no one cared. Stuff like that might bother some people, others might be more tolerant.

As you said, it all depends on the price and the location. I can't believe the price these are going for now!

I will say when I put it up for sale that the Auctioneer told me I may have problems selling as the Estate was seen by many as I have outlined above and a lot of people were not wanting to buy there, unless they were going to rent out. Ironically, the chap who bought my house bought it to rent out as he had three others in the area, all getting good rents.

Hope this helps.

vinhayes

thanks anewme

that was a most informative reply and one which I will seriously take on board as its a massive decision.

thanks again most appreciated!

anewme

Go down and take a good look round and make your own decision. The area may suit you better than me. Bear in mind, I was there when the Celtic Tiger was booming so people were making a fortune for their houses and that added to both the transiency and the huge level of rentals.

As things have slowed down now, the area may have settled more. The residents association have clearly painted walls and planted flowers, etc, especially as I said is more noticable on the main road in.

If you take a good drive around, I think you will see what I was saying about some of the things like gardens overgrown, satelite dishes etc. Some people are more fussy then others about this type of thing, it may not bother you as much.

Good Luck with your decision.

deyey

Well, it all depends on your experience. I bought my house in the estate from the plans before it was built and I'm still happily living here today. I've never had any of the issues mentioned above. It's a big estate and your experience can vary from road to road I suppose. There are several grades of house, from apartments and terraced 2-bed up to fully detatched 4-bed. The larger houses would probably see less rentals compared to the smaller units.
If I had to complain about anything, it would be the speed of the drivers coming into the estate - they treat it like a race track by times. There is provision for putting in ramps on the avenue though, when the council gets the money together!

Frescati

I live in Liffey Valley Park and am very happy here. It has matured into a quiet settled estate. The kids on the road seem to get on well together and there is a good community spirit. The estate recently won a Beautiful South Dublin Award. You might find out more info if you browse www.liffeyvalleypark.com

gaelgoir

Yes, I would recommend Liffey Valley Park as a place to live. I bought off the plans and it is mostly owner occupiers in my area. I am lucky to have some great neighbours. It is good for kids with some large greens or wide cul de sacs and sometimes activities are orgainized for them. Its a great location, just off the N4/M50 so your first home and don't have to endure the traffic/longer journey required to access some other estates in Lucan.

The nearby Park is nice for a walk and gives an open country feel to the area, and you don't have to go through a maze of houses/estates to reach your home which is good.

A few mins walk will take you to the Arc, Lemongrass Restaurant,Clarion,Liffey Valley or to Ballyowen S.C., Gym, Penny Hill, Bus to Town or the Flybus to the Airport from the Clarion.

Tara_1

Hi, I live in Liffey Valley park estate as well. It has been almost four years now. So far, I am very happy with the surroundings, the neighbours, the kids playing around and the community spirit that goes around here. My area also has owner occupied houses mostly and also lots of parking spaces around .

As already mentioned by other members, this estate is very close to (walking distance) liffey valley shopping center, Fonthill, penny hill pub etc. which is very handy. I love it here.

helenmohan

Hi all, wondering what the liffey valley park estate is like to live in now? How is it for public transport? Many thanks for all your advice!

Frescati

helenmohan wrote: »

Hi all, wondering what the liffey valley park estate is like to live in now? How is it for public transport? Many thanks for all your advice!

It is very quite and has matured well. The majority of the houses sold in the recession have been bought by owner occupiers , and the existing owners are staying put , so it has a more neighbourly feel as people have decided to set down roots here for good.

In terms of Public Transport the 25A/B which you can catch at the Willbrook Stop on the Grange Castle Road is the main bus route. It takes around 20-30 mins to get into town depending on the time of day. Liffey Valley Park is one of the few estates in Lucan which allows you to take advantage of the additional routes from Liffey Valley. e.g the 40 goes via James's Hospital and onto Drumcondra and the northside direction, 239 to Blanch etc , The Airport Hopper leaves from outside the Clarion and the Bus Eireann routes to Galway, Sligo , and Mayo stop at the Liffey Valley flyover on the N4 . The nearest train station is Fonthill but its well over a mile so you would need a car or bike to access it.

CreepingDeath

Drom Na Coille and the halting site at Ballyowen lane don't lend themselves well to that specific estate area.

Use google street view to "walk" up that lane to the Penny Hill pub.
It's a bit deserted and badly lit at night.

I don't live there, but in the past 8 years, when I'd be on the bus going up Ballyowen road and continuing on, twice the bus had its windows smashed by kids throwing stones from Drom Na Coille.

outdoor83

Hi can anyone tell me what Liffey terrace is like now as I am currently looking at properties!