Buying a house in Clongriffin

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uli84 wrote: »

Wild West to the East indeed

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/two-men-flee-lives-after-6634325

That's crazy.

I don't live too far from here, and I train in Father Collins Park most evenings and never heard a thing about this shooting.

Of course there's already been two gangland murders in Clongriffin in recent years.

blackbelted

akesha,

Can you please let us know how is the experience living in Clongriffin?

We are also like yourself 2 IT engineers with decent budget and deposit saved. Belltree houses looks nice and reasonably price.

However I have no idea about the area.

akesha

I only moved in a week ago, but as far as I can tell, it is very quiet and nice.

There is only one supermarket for now, Centra, but you can order online in Tesco, and Lidl is not that far, and if you have a car, you won't have any problems.

The two restaurants, romayos and ravellos, look nice. I only tried romayos for now, food is not bad, and they are very nice.

Hopefully, the more people start living here, more stores will open.

Dart line is pretty handy, I am going to city center and villages around in a few minutes.
Belltree seems quite far away from Dart line, though. But if you are ok with that, go ahead.

Let me know if you have any doubts

GiGi99

CLONGRIFFIN ; thinking of moving into the area. Told Social Housing under The Iveagh Trust in and around Beaupark, and towards the end of Grange Lodge Avenue, and Marrsfield although, not interested in Marrsfield area. The Iveagh Trust say there is an Estate Manager, with whom I spoke, who said that there is a mixture of families and pensioners. Grange Lodge Avenue, is just to the right off Main street when you are facing the Dart Station. You turn first onto Grange Lodge Avenue. The apartments I am interested in are on the right hand side immediately as you turn round onto Grange Lodge Avenue. These are PRIVATE, not social housing, and there is a courtyard to the rere and behind that again are fields which I am told belong to the school and are playing fields for sports.

Does anybody know if this particular area is okay? I notice security in the train station and the Glass Windows shattered there. I am an older lady, on my own, ie 59 years. What does anybody advise? Thank You.
I really would appreciate any advice. Its the train more than anything that is the attraction.

H3llR4iser

I've moved there mid-November, and so far it's been definitely ok. I'm in one of the apartments on the Main Street (the Romayos/Ravello buildings) and the place itself is nice - modern, relatively well built and organized.

I am not sure about the rating but I never, not even once, felt the need to turn the heating on since moving in. When you come back in from outside, you definitely get the "warm air impact" walking through the apartment door. I let the storage heaters charge one night in order to check they worked, and the next day I was sweating.

I spoke with a couple other residents who in turn said their apartments aren't well insulated and they have the heating blasting 24/7; Now I DO like slightly chillier temperatures than most (like 16-18 degrees inside, even 'though I come from southern Italy, go figure!), but it still had me puzzled. It's either that I'm benefiting from the heating of the apartment below mine going through the floor, or maybe the landlord has done some insulation work on his own on the property (he used to live there himself until a couple of years ago).

The building itself seems to be populated by an heterogeneous mix of people - some young families with little kids, some single professionals and couples, both from Ireland and abroad.

akesha wrote: »

...
The two restaurants, romayos and ravellos, look nice. I only tried romayos for now, food is not bad, and they are very nice.

If you haven't tried the Big Beef, do. Most of the stuff they do is all right, that one however does stand out

akesha wrote: »

Dart line is pretty handy, I am going to city center and villages around in a few minutes.
Belltree seems quite far away from Dart line, though. But if you are ok with that, go ahead.

Let me know if you have any doubts

Only issue with the DART is the frequency every 30 minutes, considering it is in the end a metropolitan transit system. If you miss your train, the wait is fairly annoying - especially in the evening, coming back.

However, if you are around late enough (I often do come back after 9pm), the 15 bus is a valid alternative - with little traffic, it takes more or less the same time as the DART (20 mins from Connolly, vs the 17 of the DART) but goes every 10 minutes.

From April, DART frequencies should drop to 20 minutes...if the drivers agree :rolleyes:

blackbelted wrote: »

akesha,

Can you please let us know how is the experience living in Clongriffin?

We are also like yourself 2 IT engineers with decent budget and deposit saved. Belltree houses looks nice and reasonably price.

However I have no idea about the area.

GiGi99 wrote: »

CLONGRIFFIN ; thinking of moving into the area. Told Social Housing under The Iveagh Trust in and around Beaupark, and towards the end of Grange Lodge Avenue, and Marrsfield although, not interested in Marrsfield area.

Can't say I have noticed their presence if they really are there. I have ended up living near council estates in Cork, and believe me - you'd be aware 24/7 that they were there.

Especially from the Grange Lodge Av., I see a lot of people getting on the DART in the morning - and they are clearly workers. I have seen the occasional "types" (you all know what I'm talking about, let' leave the PC stuff at the door), mostly in Romayos (again, the chipper seems a natural magnet to these people), but they mostly arrived and left in cars, so they weren't local.

GiGi99 wrote: »

Does anybody know if this particular area is okay? I notice security in the train station and the Glass Windows shattered there. I am an older lady, on my own, ie 59 years. What does anybody advise? Thank You.
I really would appreciate any advice. Its the train more than anything that is the attraction.

The security in the station, as far as I know, it's Irish Rail's and they are onboard the train in the evening hours.

There is area security in the evening, you'll see them slowly driving around the area every evening after dark, in a clearly marked "Security" 4x4.

Now, I'm a big guy in his 30s so maybe not the preferred "pick" of prospect criminals/wasters, but I do see many senior gentlemen walking their dogs in the evening, couples with kids and women of all ages jogging alone at all times, not to mention the ones going and coming from work using the 15 bus and the DART, so I'd say the area is relatively safe.

I've noticed the shattered glass, it broke a few weeks ago and to be honest, I have no idea what happened. There are some teenagers skating/skateboarding in the station during the evenings, but I don't think they'd be smashing the glass (unless they miscalculated a braking maneuver ).

GiGi99

Thank you all so much for the responses. Its a great help.
Regarding the skateboarders, as long as they weren't SPEEDING at the same time!!! Was taking a lovely one in Finglas but they are putting up the Modular rapid housing for the homeless opposite near Poppintree. There was also trouble at the Centra there too. There is an Estate Manager handles the Beaupark area and he said that in fact, its the private apartments that are of concern, due to private lettings, that their own properties are under control. On a different note, I would say with the recession starting to abate, and houses nearby shooting up again, that it is only a matter of time now for commercial units to be taken up by retailers. The population is growing out there. A smiley would go here, if I knew how to access one.
If anything further occurs to any of you, of if anybody else has anything to say, please comment. Appreciate it. GiGi

GiGi99

NORTHERN CROSS; Anybody any views on this particular area?

gabria

Northern cross is more Dublin 17, but OK. A nice organised area of office blocks, apartments and shops. Balgriffin in between Clongriffin and Northern Cross looks better. Anyone checked the Parkside area still being built?

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

I've been in Clongriffin for close to a year and it's slowly starting to upset me. We will probably move out of the area soon.

The transport option are not great in terms of frequency but they are manageable. The #15 bus takes you down Main street which is convenient. Otherwise the #27 bus (could be wrong) takes you fairly close. It will take you 20 minutes to walk to Main Street is you feel so inclined.

The Malahide train stops at the station all the time. The Dundalk train also stops at Clongriffin but after 7pm it skips the station which can be annoying if you're not aware of it. It will stop at Howth Junction and Portmarnock, but not Clongriffin. Weird.

You can also take the Howth train and climb off at Howth Junction and walk to Main Street (30 minutes) if you feel so inclined.

As for the area itself, I do like it and the lack of shops is not an issue for me. I order from Tesco and they deliver to me which I am happy with.

What I do not like about Clongriffin are the vandalists! These young criminals have been increasing their anti-social behavior progressively and nothing seems to be done to stop them.

Just last week (21st March) these delinquents stole rubbish bins from Grange Lodge Avenue and set them alight! They've also been steadily breaking windows on shops and at the train station. The problem with this behaviour is that it leads to the Broken Window Theory

It's fairly easy to spot these anti-social delinquents, they were track suits as clothes.

Konata

Wondering if anyone has any experience about the noise from the trains/DART? Recently viewed a house in Clongriffin but the train line passes right at the end of the garden. No trains or DARTs passed during the viewing unfortunately and we will try to go back to experience the noise ourselves but interested in any views/experience. Someone mentioned to me that the DART isn't too loud but that the intercity/commuter trains can be quite loud? Would there be freight trains during the night?

Love the house otherwise but this aspect could be a deal breaker...

odyssey06

If you are concerned about noise, isn't Clongriffin on the flight path of main Dublin airport runway?

I've only been there passing through during the day, so can't comment on the train situation, but I distinctly recall noticing the planes.

Konata

odyssey06 wrote: »

If you are concerned about noise, isn't Clongriffin on the flight path of main Dublin airport runway?

I've only been there passing through during the day, so can't comment on the train situation, but I distinctly recall noticing the planes.

I've heard the planes from inside and outside several houses and it's really not so bad, particularly from inside. But I think having trains passing by your backdoor is a little more concerning - particularly if there might be freight trains during the night. It mightn't also be so bad though, that's what I'm trying to find out.

spurious

Konata wrote: »

I've heard the planes from inside and outside several houses and it's really not so bad, particularly from inside. But I think having trains passing by your backdoor is a little more concerning - particularly if there might be freight trains during the night. It mightn't also be so bad though, that's what I'm trying to find out.

Not in Clongriffin, but I live directly beside a train track. Trust me, you don't notice them at all after a while.

CT2

I've bought a house in Belltree, Clongriffin which should be ready by November 2016

Has anyone here moved into Belltree?

I would be interested to hear of any issues that came up when you moved in. Builder snag list etc. Unforeseen delays. any comments bad or good would be appreciated.

sarah.ck

CT2 wrote: »

I've bought a house in Belltree, Clongriffin which should be ready by November 2016

Has anyone here moved into Belltree?

I would be interested to hear of any issues that came up when you moved in. Builder snag list etc. Unforeseen delays. any comments bad or good would be appreciated.

We're moving into Belltree too and its due to complete in November aswell. There's a thread on boards called Parkedge/Clongriffin and there's a good few posts about Belltree. Parkedge is right beside Belltree too. You should have a look at it.
I can't post the link though!

CT2

Thanks, I found the Parkedge thread. I've put the same post up on it. I've viewed the building site last weekend and saw that people have now moved into the first phase and most of the houses under construction are at the stage of getting the roofs completed. I have friend, who work on some of engineering side of the development . I know there has been pyrite issue in the area in the past, but i was told by my friend that a lot random batch tests have been carried out on materials used.

pm073131

Hi

My partner and I are thinking of buying an A type (ground + 2 stories) house in Belltree. The house plan is good except for the fact that there is no bathroom on the first floor.

Apparently, the builder has had a lot of queries on this from other people as well, but they can't change the design/layout now.

Does anyone know if it is allowed to build a bathroom or anything else within the house (no external change or extension) and if anyone has made any changes to their houses in Belltree.

Thanks
PM

James Delaney

I know your considering a 3 storey house.
However is there 2 stories - 3 bed preferably - would u know the price or builder to contact for newly built homes ?

Personally I think Griffin is a good location - but with a good community spirit, it could really be a lovely place to live with residence taking pride in their estate.
Its well serviced by buses & dart. But it comes down to people taking pride in the area & building a community & involving their kids in sport etc. If there are plenty of Private owners I feel this can happen.

I'd appreciate comments on this issue, particularly from Existing residents with their knowledfe of the area & what type of attitude is displayed by existing residents - Is there existing problems & anty unsociiable behaviour ?
I.e assaults, robbery, intimidation, vandalism, stolen cars etc.

athtrasna

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057398105/1

Big thread about the development here

pm073131

You can check the Belltree and Parkhomes development website. They have 3 bed houses in the price range of 300-320k.

Gumbo

pm073131 wrote: »

Hi

My partner and I are thinking of buying an A type (ground + 2 stories) house in Belltree. The house plan is good except for the fact that there is no bathroom on the first floor.

Apparently, the builder has had a lot of queries on this from other people as well, but they can't change the design/layout now.

Does anyone know if it is allowed to build a bathroom or anything else within the house (no external change or extension) and if anyone has made any changes to their houses in Belltree.

Thanks
PM

Yes you can alter the internal layout as you please after you have bought subject to not breaching any of the building regulations currently in place. Particularly if a 3 stores dwelling.

neris

not sure if its clongriffen or the coast but theres a bright shiny celtic tiger style billboard up at the rail bridge on grange road advertising some new development called silverbanks.

akesha

neris wrote: »

not sure if its clongriffen or the coast but theres a bright shiny celtic tiger style billboard up at the rail bridge on grange road advertising some new development called silverbanks.

That's the coast

neris

akesha wrote: »

That's the coast

But thats not what the marketing guys want you to think...

akesha

neris wrote: »

But thats not what the marketing guys want you to think...

It says Baldoyle anyway, I don´t think they fool anyone

James Delaney

akesha wrote: »

That's the coast

**********
Ah yes, The Grange.
My team used to play Na Dubh Gall out there.

The pitch was a SWAMP even on a dry day.

Trinity3

Hi All,

I have seen the houses at Belltree, they look very well built and are well priced. I am not from Dublin so I don't know any information on Clongriffin or Belltree as an area, so I would like to ask people who know the area whether they would recommend it in terms of bringing up young children here (i.e playing on the roads, safety, neighbours, anti social behaviour).

I have asked this question on other threads but people seems to change the subject to building materials and the question goes unanswered so any help is appreciated.

The reason I am asking is because when I google the area I can see a few incidents of gun related violence, drugs and gang members. The latest incident was last year.

Is this a safe place to bring up young children? Is crime an issue?

Thanks.

H3llR4iser

The Internet has a penchant for over-exaggerated negativity; You can look anything up and usually, the very first things you find about it are bad - if it's a car, you'll find "breakdown" or "issues" as the first results, for an area/city it's crime and so on.

I've been living (renting) on the Main Street for about one year and a half now and I didn't have any real issues; There are plenty of young families with small children around - even in my own building (oh, the delight of spending every Saturday and Sunday in the summer having to listen to the high-pitched screeches of preschoolers playing in the communal garden :rolleyes:); I see plenty of these "reduced scale humans" you're so fond of sitting smugly in their pushchairs, propelled around by not-so-smug-anymore parents

Most of the people around are workers from the city - the connections are rather good, with the DART and Bus services being relatively reliable.

There is a security car going around the place during the night; To be honest, the only nuisance are actually kids of the slightly more grown up variant, in terms of being annoying skating/cycling on the footpaths and causing some damage, mostly around the station area (which Irish Rail never repairs, anyway).

I've personally never witnessed anything particularly bad, the worse was a couple of 13/14 years old looking girls shouting something absurdly X-rated at me one saturday afternoon; one of those things that you wonder if they even know the meaning of :mad:

Your best bet would probably be to take a trim in the area on a Saturday and have a look, perception is subjective in the end.

bajer101

I'm not up to date with the current details, but a few years ago a developer told me that their social housing allocation was placed mainly in Belmayne, and Marrsfield.

Gumbo

bajer101 wrote: »

I'm not up to date with the current details, but a few years ago a developer told me that their social housing allocation was placed mainly in Belmayne, and Marrsfield.

Belmayne is a totally different site, different owner, different developer, so the social portion of units from Clongriffin, belltree etc are not down there. They have their own social portions, 10% I believe.

There is a new block of apartments to be built on Main Street this year I believe, and this block is being handed over to DCC as their social and affordable contribution.

Marrsfield was another development to the north by a different developer at the time and they had their own social and affordable allocation also.

I think the builder friends of yours was mistaking with regards to this info.