Longford Property News

Longford Developer in Receivership

2008-11-03T09:49:00.002Z

Local Developers, Leatime Construction are in receivership following moves by ACC to call in their debts. Leatime have several developments around the midlands including Glasheen in Drumlish. Full details at the Sunday Business Post.ACC seizes housing developments in Cavan, Longford and Leitrim.

Longford Army Barracks to close?

2008-10-13T21:27:00.002+01:00

It looks like our local Army barracks may get the chop in the budget which is due out tomorrow. Sean Connolly barracks houses the 4th Cavalry and was an old British Barracks. More details at the Irish Independent.

ACCBank to close its Longford Branch

2008-10-13T21:20:00.002+01:00

ACCBank is to close it's local Longford town branch as part of a cutback in services and will transfer staff to other locations. The closure is expected by January 16th 2009. Full details at the RTE website.

Longford to pass Athlone for shopping?

2008-06-18T22:41:00.002+01:00

A new report from Experian suggests that Longford will overtake Athlone as the regions main shopping destination. From the Independent ..."One of the surprising forecasts is in the midlands league, where it expects Longford, with a retail spend of €241m, to edge ahead of Athlone, at €232m by 2018, despite the latter's central location and third-level college."

Local Auctioneers close up office

2008-04-29T13:31:00.003+01:00

The local branch of ERA Ireland in Longford town has closed up their office. They had been in business over two years but were unable to weather the downturn.

Bowen to restart Carrigglas?

2008-04-21T14:09:00.002+01:00

John Bowen, the chief executive of the Bowen Group, has said he is optimistic that construction will resume in the near future on the troubled Carrigglas Manor development in Co Longford. Bowen Construction, a company within the Bowen Group, is the lead contractor on the project.Work on the scheme came to a halt last year due to a dispute over payments to contractors. ‘‘We are involved in

Longford Developers adjusting to new market conditions

2008-04-11T17:25:00.006+01:00

Bowen Construction prepares to take a hit on Carrigglas

2008-03-11T22:53:00.002Z

From the Sunday Business Post........Bowen Group writes down €8m for resort project 09 March 2008 By Ian Kehoe The Bowen Group has made an €8 million bad debt provision arising from its

Market Slowdown starts to hurt

2007-12-10T14:35:00.000Z

Longford developers and builders are starting to feel the effects of the slowdown in property sales with one local firm going out of business.From the Sunday Business Post,Building firm collapses with €1.5m debts 09 December 2007 A midlands construction company has collapsed with debts of almost €1.5 million. James Gerety Construction, a Longford-based contractor, went into liquidation last week

Ardagh College Sold

2007-10-17T14:02:00.000+01:00

Ardagh College has been sold to a Solicitor from Mullingar who made the purchase for a consortium. The sale of the 214 acre lot was for €5.2 million. A smaller zoned lot of 12 acres did not sell at auction and is under negotiation. More details at the Irish Independent which speculates that the property will be developed as a hotel.

Construction Halted at Carriglass

2007-10-07T15:29:00.000+01:00

The Sunday Business Post reports that Bowen Construction has stopped work at Carriglas due to a dispute over payments to sub contractors. There has been a lot of rumours locally that the site may close as house sales are very slow. It appears that the high prices being asked combined with the small house types and high density are not appealing to today's buyers.

Planning Restrictions due to New Motorway

2007-10-04T11:08:00.000+01:00

The National Roads Authority has released a new map showing the constraint area which restricts development in Longford and Westmeath. The area will become smaller as potential routes are ruled out. Consultations have been held with the public in both counties. Local builders and developers will have to review their site plans if they fall within the area and it will add an extra step to the

Longford last in Planning Applications

2007-09-27T23:02:00.000+01:00

It may seem that local engineers and architects are busy with planning but Longford had only 197 applications in the second quarter of 2007. This is less than Leitrim (258) and Roscommon (422) and puts us in last place in the entire country. It appears that Longford builders have less confidence than the rest of the country. Full details are available at the CSO website.

Ardagh College and land for sale

2007-09-05T11:45:00.000+01:00

The Sisters of Mercy school at Ardagh has been put ip for sale for auction on 11th October 2007. The grounds are over 214 acres and the large house was used until recently as a Rural Home Economics College. Guide price is €6.5 million for the entire property.

New Dunnes Stores Supermarket

2007-08-21T13:35:00.000+01:00

Construction is well advanced on the new Dunnes and the opening is expected in about two months. This latest addition to Longford's retail market will be welcomed by Longford shoppers who will have a greater choice of options.

New Shopping Centre Progressing Well

2007-08-19T13:44:00.000+01:00

The new shopping centre at Little Water Street on the banks of the Camlin is coming along well and changing the skyline of Longford town.

Camlin Village details released

2007-02-13T11:40:00.000Z

The plans for the new village planned along the N4 near the Ballinalee roundabout have been made available. The scheme includes 196 houses, retail space and a proposed 11 storey hotel.

Ganlys Homevalu of Athlone Coming to Longford

2007-01-02T23:29:00.000Z

Ganly's of Athlone will open a new outlet in Longford this year on the old Tool & Plastics site. The store will employ up to 50 staff and will have a garden centre. The news is a great vote of confidence in the town as Longford is fast becoming a major regional retail centre. Click on the picture to see a larger size.

Growing Population Filling New Houses

2006-10-26T13:15:00.000+01:00

A new report was released yesterday from AIB on the current state of the property market. The report expects a slowdown in the rate of price increases and sees a soft landing ahead. The chart below shows up some interesting data for the Longford region. It shows the ratio of house completions to population. Despite all the building in the county the ratio is declining as the population increases

New Prison Service Building Under Way

2006-10-13T18:57:00.000+01:00

The new Prison Service HQ is well on the way. It is located just outside Longford town near the N4 and is due to open in the first quarter of 2007. About 160 civil servants will be relocating to Longford.

New Medical Centre for Longford

2006-09-12T14:25:00.000+01:00

Gemini Irish Healthcare Services has applied for planning permission for a medical clinic and sheltered housing scheme on lands next to Ardnacassagh House in Co Longford.The three-storey clinic, on land which is currently zoned residential/commercial, would include three operating theatres, 24 recovery rooms, 13 diagnostic suites and a postoperative convalescent care wing with 40 long-term

Ardagh Local Area Plan Adopted

2006-09-04T14:19:00.000+01:00

The Ardagh draft local area plan for 2006-2012 has been adopted and is now available for viewing at the Longford County Council website. The plan calls for protection of Ardagh's heritage area and any future development will take place outside the immediate village.

House Completions Show Strong Growth

2006-08-24T11:38:00.000+01:00

House completions in County Longford are up 36% for the first seven months of the year. In 2006, 665 house were completed compared to 487 for the same period last year. New planning notices are up 58% to 609 from 386 last year. Demand remains strong with a large number of buyers coming in from the greater Dublin area.

10% growth in Longford Population in Four Years

2006-07-19T13:44:00.000+01:00

The population of County Longford has taken a major jump since 2002. Figures released today from the CSO show that 34,361 people are currently living in the county. This is an increase of 3,393 over the 2002 figures. The strong growth will come as no surprise to locals who see the demand for housing and retail throughout the county. Longford town grew to 7,612, an increase of 11.4%. The fastest

Courthouse Restoration Complete

2006-07-14T11:12:00.000+01:00

Longford Courthouse is ready to open following a long renovation project. The courthouse was built in 1791 and replaced an older one in the Market Square. Official opening will be by the Minister for Justice in August.

New Shopping Centre For Richmond St.

2006-07-11T13:41:00.000+01:00

A major shopping centre scheme is in the pipeline for Longford town where CFO Construction is seeking permission to transform the old disused creamery buildings/agricultural sheds at Richmond St, Longford into a new retail magnet. The proposed three storey complex will have a gross floor area of 16,433 sq m gross on a site of just under five acres. The proposed new centre will include a 5,563

Ten Year Returns in Longford of 216%

2006-06-22T12:11:00.000+01:00

A new report from Permanent TSB/ESRI shows Longford house prices have increased 271% since 1996. The average price in 1996 was €67,986 and to day is €214,527. Prices nationwide have increased 14.9% annually in the last ten years. Despite the increase in prices, affordability of houses has remained steady since 1998 as incomes have kept pace with inflation. Another change in our area is the

New Shopping Centre Opens

2006-06-20T18:09:00.000+01:00

Friday sees the official launch of Longford's newest shopping centre. Supervalu are the anchor tenant and there will be several other stores on the lower level. The site has ample parking and easy access of the N63.

Edgeworthstown bypass is opened

2006-06-19T18:01:00.000+01:00

A 3km stretch of road bypassing Edgeworthstown in Co Longford has been opened.The new road, which cost almost €15 million to construct, took just over one year to complete. It was opened today at 2pm by Minister of State at the Department of Environment and Local Government Pat the Cope Gallagher. The new road is expected to result in a 70% reduction in traffic passing through the town.

High Rise Hotel for Longford

2006-06-16T14:42:00.000+01:00

An 11 storey 96-bed hotel is part of a new development which received the go ahead from An Bord Pleanala. This will be the tallest building in the county and will change the local skyline dramatically. The new Gateway Business Park comprising of offices, retail warehouse units, hotel, Gateway Pavillion (including restaurant/cafe, terraced townhouses, 17 three bedroom duplex townhouses and 17 two

AIB Predicts Growth of 12% for house prices in 2006

2006-06-09T10:02:00.000+01:00

AIB says that house prices will rise by at least 12 per cent this year but the market is giving mixed signals about future activity. Housing starts have slowed down with less houses likely to be built this year. The bank's June housing market bulletin states that while current activity remains buoyant, registration and commencement data paint a murkier picture about the strength of activity in

Big Changes for Water St.

2006-06-09T09:51:00.000+01:00

Demolition has started on Greater Water St. New apartments and retail units will replace the old buildings being torn down.

Launch of new energy efficient houses in Ballymahon

2006-06-03T17:52:00.000+01:00

Ballymahon has gone green with a new development featuring solar panels and wood pellet boilers. Heating costs should be 40% less than oil and carbon pollution is greatly reduced. The houses are three and four bedroom detached and semi-detached. They are located just of Main St. along the banks of the river Inny. RE/MAX are the agents and the developer is Bespoke Construction from Athlone.

The popular Courtyard Restaurant is Expanding

2006-06-01T20:15:00.000+01:00

The Courtyard has nearly doubled in size with their extension opening this week. A bakery is also in the works and should open soon.Yes, it really is that sunny in Longford today.

Retail is on a roll in Longford Town

2006-06-01T19:11:00.000+01:00

Two new shops opened up this week and both are franchises. The first is Tally Weijl, on main Street, a Swiss fashion shop which means "Totally Sexy" in English and is extremely popular in Europe with over one hundred stores in operation. This chain can be found in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Poland, England, Russia and France. They already have stores in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Maynooth.

Edgeworthstown Continues to Expand

2006-05-29T16:47:00.000+01:00

The Park House Hotel in Edgeworthstown has announced an €8,000,000 renovation and expansion of their premises. The new hotel will have 50 rooms and new retail units, underground parking, bar, restaurant and conference rooms. The project is being undertaken by Cllr. Frank Kilbride. This is the second hotel planned for the town. Bannbrook Properties are soon to start on their five star hotel and

Commercial properties remain unsold after auctions

2006-05-27T15:32:00.000+01:00

Two properties on the main shopping streets were recently up for auction but did not reach their reserve prices and are currently in negotiations. The bookshop building was withdrawn at auction on Friday at €875,000 and O'Reillys premises are taking bids through CBRE.

New Report Shows Continued Growth in Longford Property Prices

2006-05-24T12:24:00.000+01:00

The new quarterly report from Daft.ie is out and shows some interesting statistics for Longford.Longford houses are 49 % cheaper than Dublin Houses.April 05 – April 06 Longford house prices are up 13.8 % and since Jan this year house prices are up 5.5 %.April 2005 average house price €220,000 - Jan 06 average house price €252,000.