Clonee apartments breathe new life into village

OF ALL the Meath villages which have been transformed by development in recent decades, Clonee is certainly one of the most changed streetscapes and areas in the county.

The emergence of developments surrounding the village such as Littlepace, Ongar and Williamstown, once all well-known stud farms, have meant that the fears expressed by businesses in the town many years ago that the Clonee by-pass would sound a death knell for the village, are now well and truly in the past, and the main street today is a thriving commercial and residential hub straddling the border between Meath and Dublin 15.

A new apartment development has been launched by Hooke & McDonald on one of the most prominent sites in Clonee, the location of the Old Toll House on the Dunboyne Road, close to the access from the N3 and Dunboyne.

Building work is well advanced on Ard Cluain - the high meadow on the banks of the Tolka - and show apartments have been open over the past few weekends. Ard Cluain is a development of 71 apartments comprising a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The developer is Beech Tree Properties and it is being built by Hassett Construction.

Ard Cluain is laid out around two courtyards with feature planting to the centre of each building. There are generous landscaped recreational open spaces surrounding the apartments and a choice of retail units. At ground floor level there are four retail units and a restaurant. The apartments are on the first to the fourth floor levels. The two landscaped courtyards are on the first floor podium built over the car park. 

The one-bedroom apartments (46-60 square metres/500-645 square feet) are priced from S260,000. Two-bedroom apartments of 64-80 square metres (685-860 square feet) are from S300,000, and the three-bedroom units (94 square metre/1,010 square feet) are available from S370,000.

The site is accessed just off Clonee's main street via the old Kilbride Road. To the rear, the site is bounded by Clonee Tennis Club, which makes for a pleasant outlook and environment. The N3 is just around the corner, granting quick access onto the main road to the city centre and further afield.

Clonee village itself is a charming blend of old and new - the family-run butchers comfortably rubbing shoulders with the modern, well-appointed solicitors' office; a quaint old pub, resplendent with hanging flower baskets, and also a good choice of restaurants. 

The village is a testament to the fact that the old and new can work well together, that traditional values can be aided by modern ideas and that the safe and family-orientated atmosphere of a country village needn't be out of reach, geographically or financially, of the Dublin commuter who appreciates the advantage of a mature village environment.

It is a village that has developed pleasantly over the years and now hosts a rich array of amenities. Clonee has its own post office and there are also several newsagents, laundrette, pharmacy, hair salon and an ice-cream parlour all on the main thoroughfare. 

For more extensive shopping, the Blanchardstown Centre is located a few minutes' drive from Clonee. The centre, one of the most popular in the country, has everything from grocery to fashion, hardware to haberdashery and a multiplex cinema.

The village is convenient to a multitude of amenities and within easy commuting distance of Dublin city centre via the N3 (Navan Road) route. For the non-motorist, Dublin Bus operates two frequent routes which run from Clonee village through the Blanchardstown Centre and on into the city centre. A quality bus corridor (QBC) ensures a speedy commute. 

Hooke & MacDonald are the selling agents for the 71 apartments and retail units at Ard Cluain. They have now released for sale a new phase of apartments and show units are open Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm-4pm.