Buying a garden in North Wicklow

jennydev

Hi, we're renting a basement garden-less flat in South County Dublin and we have three kids. We've always had gardens in our previous abodes and are very keen gardeners so we are massively frustrated by our current situation and we would really love our children to have outdoor space of their own to plant and muck around in. We are considering trying to buy some small land in North Wicklow to use as a garden and wondered if anyone has succeeded in doing something like this? It seems very difficult to source land that is not suitable as a 'site' or for farming without having a useful friend in the area!!

magicbastarder

anything you'd want to buy would be seen as a potential site for housebuilding and thus would be subject to those market forces, i'd say.

have you investigated if there are allotments available in your area?

jennydev

Yes, we've considered an allotment but actually I'm not particularly interested in growing veg and would really like to plant some fruit trees and plants that I can let mature. Also, I don't want to feel confined and to have to tell my children to keep off other people's plots - they're young so they like to explore! Really we want a place we can have ownership of and watch mature as we are unlikely to be buying anything in Dublin.

You are right as regards land being marketed as sites. It's a pity as I have come across a few people who would love to have a a patch of land beyond the allotment set-up. I reckon there is a bit of a market there for those selling land in Wicklow. Particularly since the planning regulations make it so difficult to find buyers for sites.