Chancel Way, Newcastle, Wicklow

sinkadinka

There was an email in this afternoon from Kate with a quick update , no major changes but advising that things are still on track for mid July and she also mentions about how they proceeded with painting to avoid further delays.

chancelnoway

Yeah we got an email from DB properties but no mention of a mid July completion date. I was at the site last week, no roads, no street lighting, no front driveways were done at that stage

chancersway

I was down twice last week and thought there was ok progress on the driveways. I'd be hopeful they'd be finished this week or early next week. Roads are only a matter of an afternoon laying tar. Can't imagine street lights will hold the show up as long as there is safe access and egress from properties.

Assume we're all in the same boat that appliances will NOT be supplied?

SWG51

Appliances are not provided to my knowledge.

PL_LB

Hello, has anyone received an update in regards to snagging dates?

SWG51

We have not, last was end of June. Thanks

chancelnoway

Snagging just seems to have gone from the first week in July to the third week in July. I said all along it’s August/September before we’re moving in.

lucylucy123

Hi, I am a potential phase two buyer and have a few questions for the buyers of phase 1

have you been notified of the management fee cost

for those using help to buy at what stage did you have to give your code

are the front drives allowed to be changed eg fences/ gates

thank you 😊

chancelnoway

We only found out there was a management fee recently. Still don’t know the figure.

There was no options with regards to finishes or specs. They were completed to the brouchure specs exactly.

Also we’re now running at least 4 months behind schedule for completion date and counting!

lucylucy123

Thanks a mill for your reply. Yes that is such bad business that ye are all still waiting. Which makes me pessimistic regarding the planned phase two launch in September. I went to have a look at the site last weekend and it looks a really long way off from finish. In fairness it looks like a nice development, my only concern would be its position on the epa flood plain map and the knock on effect on house insurance. Anyway, thanks again for answering my question and best of luck with everything

chancersway

As far as I could ever see, the development is not considered any type of flood risk. There was no flood risk assessment required for planning. There has been no flooding on this site in the past. And, on CFRAM maps, even in a low probability, 1 in 1000 year catastrophic event, there is no significant swelling of the river at this stretch. The development also appears to sit slightly higher than the site originally was.

I live in hope that house insurance won't be inflated.

Sherlock H

The management fee is a big upset. It was the intention not to have a management fee however I don't know what the councils argument is over the green spaces and why they won't take ownership of them, but there is no details provided on the fee structure or what it is covering. Very difficult to sign contracts without knowing this.

We only found out when we tried to get that section of the contract removed. And that section is very loose, its not good enough to sign for in my opinion.

dors1411

Anyone hear anything from katie re:snagging, she had said she was hopeful of snagging to start today. Funnily wasnt able to contact herself or Derek today. Feel like this is never ending and the communication is just getting worse

Emma2066

Hello future residents of Chancel Way. 

Myself and the hubby are really looking forward to moving out of the big smoke to the picturesque village of Newcastle, we are both from the country so have no concerns about the quite country life. We also have a young boy and believe North Wicklow to be a wonderful place for him to grow up. 

I am really concerned reading about this Management Company and what charges we may have to pay. Our solicitor has advised us not to move forward until they have clarity, there are nightmare stories of how much control these companies have over your property - friends of ours in Lucan have to pay €1900 per year and are required to get permission to apply even a coat of paint to their gate. We have looked at Roundwood and Rathnew as alternatives if this becomes a major issue but Newcastle remains our number one choice for now. 

Has anyone on here got clarity on the legality of the Management Company and what their remit will be ?

Sherlock H

I think if you want to sign now you will have to sign at risk with unknown rates for management company. I dont think they know themselves what will be entailed in the responsibilities yet, they are back and forward with the council on it. Reality is, if you want to start snagging and get in asap, hands are tied, have to sign and give deposit, as they wont let you in to snag if thats not done. Rock and a hard place for sure, but at this stage, one would have to hope the cost for management fees would be low if its only the green area's that are under the remit of the company. The roads, lights, footpaths etc are under falling under the council control and a bond has already been paid to the council for this. Very strange situation though.

Sherlock H

Just got confirmation on the fees

Budget for 2023 is €19,349, divided by 34 units = €569.00 per unit per annum

sinkadinka

€19,349 pa seems excessive if this is for just the upkeep of green areas ? Will this be subject to an annual increase ?

Tacama

Would it be reasonable to expect an uneven split. I.e. apartments pay more and those of us in houses in phase one pay less??

Sherlock H

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120868487#Comment_120868487

It does, and yes it willbe reviewed yearly and highly doubt it will ever go down. I can live with that for now, but it gets worse.

Apparently we will need permision from the management compay for any structural or astehic change to the property. Thats complete bullsh*t. We will own the land and the building, how can some random 3rd party dictate that. I understand in managed apartments how that can apply, but on owned plots of land, doesnt make sense.

Sherlock H

Marked as points 21 and 26 in the management company details. Please all get onto your solicitors and complain about this. The more people giving out and looking for the removal of these restrictions to the "sold property" the more chance we have of them removing it. Fair enough the refference to licensed areas, thats grand, but not the "sold property"

Sherlock H

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120868516#Comment_120868516

Appartments have been put on hold from what I heard. Sewarge/drainage system cannot handle the capacity.

Tacama

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120868566#Comment_120868566

Wow, that is news to us! So if there are no apartments there are actually only 30 houses? 20 in phase 1 and 10 in phase 2 (according to the drawings in the brochures).. so then this management cost goes up to €645??

Agree with you on the other points you’ve raised above..

sinkadinka

Thanks for posting this information. We will be discussing with our solicitor but we would not be agreeable to having a property management company dictate what changes can be made to our property. We’d have no issue contributing towards a resident’s association fee regarding the upkeep of green areas etc but the idea of paying a management company fees to to keep the grass cut is not acceptable.

Sherlock H

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120868604#Comment_120868604

Word of mouth on the appartments, so I cant be sure, but there are 34 units in phase 1 and 2 houses according to the managment documentation. Your solicitors should have recieved all those docs today. The agreement document is long ,very open ended on some points and some are just agrivating.... No ball play in common areas....like come on. I'd all be questioning the legal standing of it if we do sign up to it. What can they actually do if we have paid our fees but paint our windowcills or put a rear extension up(within planning laws) or a side passage shed extension etc etc etc

Sherlock H

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120868652#Comment_120868652

Id agree to that, occupent owned/run commitee that look after the common area's for phase 1 and 2. I'd be out there myself mowing the grass! Would love to know why the council wont take charge of the common area's but will take the road infrastructure. If it wasnt for that, there wouldnt be a management company needed for the houses, only the apartments.

chancersway

I'll see you out there with my Briggs and Stratton. If you want a job done right, do it yourself 👍

Sherlock H

FYI, my solicitor said they wouldn't have a chance at stopping any development or facade change, as long as its within planning laws regardless of that agreement, In relation to the houses on the development. Get your own legal advise of course, but thats good enough for me.

clairedly

Hi all, interested in phase 2! Just wondering if any of the buyers from phase 1 could let me know how they released the first phase, and was it first come , first serve etc? TIA, Claire

chancelnoway

Yeah it seemed to be done on a first come basis but they seemed to want people who were ready to purchase, ie weren’t waiting on a sale of their current house or were at a very advanced stage. Due to the delays there were some fallers and so people not initially on the list got on.

chancelnoway

Having previously been in an estate with a management company I think some of your fears may be unfounded. While there are a lot of rules and regulations regarding changes to your house, these are not rigidly enforced unless it’s something hideous which annoys a lot of neighbors. The estate was well kept and maintained and I would rather be in an estate with a management company than not.