The Meadows, Rolestown

BPS87

I am just wondering if anybody knows what the delay is with The Meadows development in Rolestown.

The properties have been re-advertised on DAFT. I initially thought that it was another phase being released, however it is the original 10 properties again.

The Estate looks like its coming close to completion, but the houses are back up for sale?

DownByTheGarden

I heard they were waiting for the flight paths on the North Runway to be sorted out. People were getting spooked when they were up there and getting buzzed by the planes taking off.

I think now that they go around Rolestown so those houses are back on the market.

Still a lot of plane noise though from that runway up there so would anyone really be wanting to pay the guts of €1M for them? On the plus side the gardens are microscopic so you wouldnt really be outside to have to listen.

Also what was supposed to be a park down by the river was a nice selling point, but they are looking to not do that now and build more houses there instead of the park.

They also tried to get gates put on the development but were denied permission.

CuteAngryBird

Hi, I like the houses but I am hesitant to move to Rolestown. 1. they started selling those houses since last year June and the houses have been on the market for almost a year, which is worrying.. 2. it seems not very young children friendly as there is not really any playground nearby or sth.. or if we want to push the baby for a walk in the buggy, we had to walk on the streets.

on the other hand, we like the house itself a lot. We are thinking back and forth so many times and haven't made up our minds..

so struggling.. have you decided? cheers

DownByTheGarden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566627#Comment_120566627

Im not buying there. I just know the area. Those houses are being built since about 2007. They knocked the first ones down and then started again.

That site seems to keep changing. One minute they are building 5 houses. then they are building 10. Then they are knocking them down, then they are building a little park with a picnic area in there beside the river at the bottom of the meadows. (They keep changing the name of the place too). Then they are looking for gates. Then they are building houses where the park is supposed to be beside the river. There were also rumors that the council were interested in the houses for the travelers from the airport site.

One thing is for sure about those particular houses. Its ever changing. I would definitely without a doubt try and find out if the council are buying any of them or how many and which ones are part 5 and who is getting them.

CuteAngryBird

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566985#Comment_120566985

thanks for the info. wow, what a journey.. where can we find out if the council is buying them？ I saw plans for Rolestown, a good plan, with lots of housing area and even a playground. But those are plans, it probably takes decades to fulfill the plans though. hmm, overall it feels like not a good purchase there.

DownByTheGarden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120568115#Comment_120568115

Rolestown has gone from a lovely little sleepy village of about 50 houses to a monstrous size in about 5 years and yet no services there.

There have been lots of development plans over the years. Keeps changing. The river walk has been planned for about 20 years now. It will probably come after the Metro at this rate :)

It used to be a nice place. Its been ruined by the size it has grown to imo. But I guess it depends what you are looking for. I would definitely have question marks over The Meadows for sure. I dont know how you find out but you really, really need to find out who your neighbors are going to be there before you buy because if the rumors are true (and the way the sale is gone weird in that place would suggest something must be up) you will never be able to sell on for what you bought it for.

bk23

Where do I start with this estate..

I was at contract stage when the complete lack of transparency and significant legal issues came to light. Our solicitor advised us we'd be crazy to proceed.

There has been 2x builders went bust on the site. First back in ~2007, then another during COVID. The current situation is a receiver is using sub contractors to complete it. The latest delays are seemingly due to them struggling to get ESB connections but take anything the estate agent tells you with a pinch of salt.

Honestly save yourself the hassle and just avoid this estate entirely. Something is not right with it.

DownByTheGarden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120789884#Comment_120789884

The place is cursed :)

Back years ago the owner of the meadows site built a brand new house on it and then one day it was bulldozed. House totally destroyed just after it had been built and finished to a lovely standard. Then a few of them just collapsed when they were left there for years after the crash.

Those houses have been sold about 5 times (maybe even more times tbh) each over the last 10 years. Its totally weird for brand new houses to be sold multiple times. Like how often has anyone ever seen a brand new estate with all the sales being backed out of multiple times?

The rumor now is that 4 of the houses have been bought for travelers. As have 2 other houses just down the road. They are already moved into the 2 other houses down the road so I would tend to believe the rumor here.

One of the houses opposite the Meadows was used in a tiger kidnapping a few years ago and a farmer down the road was almost beaten to death a few years ago when he discovered a few undesirables up to no good.

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/hero-mum-of-two-helps-to-foil-tiger-kidnap-gang/27977184.html

also

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/fingal/we-are-pig-sick-of-this/37325336.html

thatfatfella123

Hi all, we have finally moved into The Meadows early June 2024 after a very long back and forth process. There are quite a few quality of build issues, doors don’t fully close, all of the door handles are covered in solidified cement and the space is quite inefficient in some rooms (especially the little balcony above the kitchen). We first took up interest in these houses in late 22.

We were promised a green area, adequate services and a bus that would serve the main road in the village. As of now none of these promises have been made and although Rolestown is a lovely village in itself, some basic tasks are a bit of a nuisance.

As a college student it takes me close to 1.5 hours to get to campus, but thankfully I am getting occasional lifts from my family and learning to drive. The nearby petrol station has prices that are nearly double our regular supermarket or corner shop.

There is a block of apartments with a commercial space below which has also been empty for at least 6 months. The village road is also in desperate need of a repair.

Focusing back on the houses, it does seem like we may get some sort of a mini park, but it is probably a quarter the size compared to the plans published by FCC. For 4-5 months of the year the farmers behind the left row of houses will be spreading out slurry which has a very unpleasant smell and can sometimes make its way into the houses. The houses are very nice I definitely can’t complain about that, the rooms are mostly spacious and don’t feel cramped. There’s a lot of free space on the sides of the house and the gardens are pretty spacious to accommodate a shed or football nets, or whatever it is you are into.

The second phase of houses is nearing completion and will probably be ready late 24/early 25. Hopefully with the completion of these homes we can finally get to see some improvements in other aspects of the meadows.

We did have some issues last winter where one vehicle was stolen and a house was broken into in an estate beside the church. There have also been a few incidents where bored teenagers set one of the bring banks on fire, but this is very rare to see.

The primary school is also lovely for the size of the village and competes with the likes of Swords and Ashbourne in terms of infrastructure. There is also a GAA pitch that’s free to use as well as a few more at the Ravens Mill training grounds.

I’ve tried to cover most of the topics but I’ll stop blabbering on. It would be very nice to have more neighbours and so this is certainly not discouraging you from moving but it’s rather just an outlook on the day to day life in Rolestown. Feel free to reply with any questions you might have!

WideAsleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122549665#Comment_122549665

Hi thatfatfella,

My partner and I are considering a house in The Meadows but are a little concerned by some of the messages in here so was looking to get some information from a resident if at all possible 🙂

Was wondering if there is any movement on any of the topics you mentioned? Particularly around the park as we have a young child. With that in mind is the area child friendly if, for example, we wanted to take a stroll with the pram? Does the area feel safe as the tiger kidnapping above is a bit of a concern.

You mentioned neighbours too, any issues there as bad neighbours can ruin someone's living experience. The agent seem to suggest there was very little availability left so have people started moving in?

Anything else you think might be worth mentioning as it always brilliant to hear from someone with first hand experience and not an estate agent.

Thanks in advance.

MQuin

hi all - what’s the internet situation in the estate?

thatfatfella123

Hello WideAsleep. Sorry for getting back to you so late, I would assume that you are moving in soon or have already started. The neighbours all really keep to themselves. I haven’t seen some of our neighbours for months at a time. We get along well with our neighbours however, all of the residents are very nice people. With respect to the park, we would hope to see some work being done before summer especially as the houses have recently been completely. There are plans to connect this park to the nursing home with a pond and a statue of sorts according to the local area plan from years back. I think it would be fantastic to get a view of the river. Before the second phase began we would drop down to the river up close. It would be nice to be able to see it again. The Rolestown community can be a bit of a ghost town. You will hardly see any people roaming around, but at the same time everyone is respectful and nice. We walk our dog 3 times a day through Ravens Mill up to the school down to the church and back home (it’s a bit boring but gets the job done). We are still waiting for internet, we were promised access by Q4 of 2024 but this has been pushed back to at least Q4 of 2025 :/

thatfatfella123

Hello MQuinn. Still no broadband, the installation date was pushed back from 2023 to 2024 and now expected Q4 of 2025