Donal Buckley

DUBLIN –

A substantial inner‑city landholding in Dublin 6 has changed hands after an auction, marking one of the largest residential transactions recorded this year in the capital and highlighting continued investor interest in scarce development sites close to public transport and established education institutions.

The property at 48 Temple Road, Dartry – a mansion together with its surrounding lands and additional properties – was sold by the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary after auction for a price described as close to its €7.5 million guide. The site occupies roughly 0.75 hectares (about 1.85 acres) at the corner of Temple Road and Richmond Avenue South, and includes frontage onto the Milltown light‑rail stop and a direct aspect onto Alexandra College.

Transaction details and site

The sale followed a public auction and completed at a level described in market notices as close to the €7.5 million guide price; the vendor was the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary. While the purchaser has not been publicly disclosed, agents in the market describe the deal as emblematic of the depth of private and institutional capital still targeting infill residential opportunities on the south side.

• Address: 48 Temple Road, Dartry, Dublin 6.
• Site area: approximately 0.75 hectares (c. 1.85 acres).
• Sale process: auction; outcome described as close to guide price €7.5m.
• Configuration: a substantial period house with associated outbuildings and landscaped grounds, offering both refurbishment and subdivision potential.
• Key locational features: corner of Temple Road and Richmond Avenue South, frontage onto the Milltown light‑rail stop, and immediate proximity to Alexandra College and other established schools.

Local agents note that the combination of scale, frontage and transport connectivity is unusual in such a mature, low‑turnover residential district, which helps to explain the competitive bidding environment and near‑guide outcome.

Market, housing and policy context

Prime and well‑located residential land in Dublin has been a constrained supply category for several years, with national house prices continuing to rise through 2025 and sustaining investor interest in sites that can be repurposed or redeveloped. Against the backdrop of Ireland’s ongoing housing‑supply shortfall and population growth concentrated in the Greater Dublin Area, transactions of this type are watched closely by planners, local politicians and community groups for what they signal about future density and tenure mix.

Proximity to the Luas Green Line is a material commercial attribute for Dublin real estate values, providing frequent city‑centre access and supporting higher effective densities where planning policy permits. The property’s relationship to the Milltown tram stop is therefore a relevant factor for any future valuation or redevelopment assessment, particularly in light of national policy encouraging compact, transport‑oriented growth in existing urban areas.

Any change of use or redevelopment of the site would require a planning application to the local planning authority. In Dublin that process is administered through Dublin City Council under the national planning code set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000, with applicants required to lodge a formal planning submission for works that are not exempt development. Conditions attached to any future permission – such as open‑space requirements, protected‑structure considerations or Part V social and affordable housing obligations – will be central to the site’s ultimate capacity and residual land value.

Institutional sellers and commercial patterns

Sales by religious congregations and other institutional owners have been a recurring feature of the Irish property market as orders rationalise holdings and raise funds for operational or charitable activities. Public auctions of convents and former institutional residences have appeared intermittently on the market in recent years as congregations reduce their property portfolios and seek to move older members into more suitable accommodation.

“The Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary collaborate with others to share Christ’s mission of love and reconciliation.”

That statement of purpose helps to explain the congregational stewardship model; the sale of 48 Temple Road transfers a non‑core, high‑value asset into private ownership while the congregation retains its mission‑oriented activities in other forms. For policymakers, such disposals raise broader questions about the future use of long‑held institutional lands in established suburbs, including the balance between maximising housing output and safeguarding neighbourhood character, tree cover and community facilities.

Commercial implications for developers and owners

For a purchaser, the location and scale of the site set a spectrum of commercial options: conservation and refurbishment of a period residence, sub‑division for high‑value family homes, or a higher‑density residential scheme subject to planning. Each pathway carries distinct cost structures – conservation premiums, demolition and remediation costs, site‑preparation and utility upgrades, and planning‑risk exposure – that are central to any underwriting of value.

Planning consent risk is a routine but decisive variable in such underwriting. Applications for significant redevelopment typically require engagement with the local planning authority and, where relevant, pre‑application consultations with national planning bodies if the scheme meets thresholds for strategic or large‑scale status. Community consultation, traffic and transport assessments, and design responses to overlooking and height sensitivities in the surrounding streets will also weigh on design choices.

The completed auction sale removes the property from the institutional balance sheet and places it under private ownership, preserving immediate liquidity for the vendor while concentrating development risk and capital expenditure on the buyer. For residents and local representatives, attention will now shift from the headline sale price to the planning file, where the eventual proposal – whether discreet refurbishment or a more intensive scheme – will test how Dublin’s compact‑growth policies are applied on the ground in one of its most sought‑after residential neighbourhoods.