The Crescent, Earlswood, Ashtown

Q

Quest

Registered User
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Hi All,
I have put down a deposit on a 2 bed apt in The Crescent in Ashtown, really like the apartment. Anyway have a couple of weeks to decide, not overly familiar with the area. Any opinions from anyone in the know especially current residents would be most helpful.

Quest
 
Hi Quest,

I live very close to the Crescent. I rent there, and have been in situ since autumn 2006.

One very important thing to bear in mind about the Crescent is that there are two unfinished blocks which have had no work done to them in months at the rear of where you are thinking of buying. I'm sure you saw these on your visit. There is currently a rumour, I'm not sure how true, that the developer responsible for these is in trouble.

Will they ever be finished? If they are eventually finished months or years down the line, what price do you think they will command?

I'll list a few pluses and minuses of the area generally:

There is a Spar very close by. There is a Superquinn close by, a pharmacy, cafe, a bookies, and an Indian take away also close by(the latter two are perhaps not as welcome!).

It's close to Ashtown train station. Unfortunately the line is one of the most heavily over-subscribed in the country. It has a bus route close by that goes to the top of O'Connell St. which is regular at peak times.

Anti-social activity is common enough in the area, as are car break-ins, and worryingly enough there have been reports of burglary in some of the newer Royal Canal Park developments. (Read www.rathborne.net, [broken link removed] and the Royal Canal Park forum on for evidence of the good and bad).

Also the largest joy riding / dirt biking area in West Dublin is a few hundred yards behind you. As far as I know this land is under a compulsory purchase and will be turned into a park, I think this is going to the High Court - don't hold your breath.

I don't want to be too down on the area, as after all I'm still there after 15 months or so. But there were times when we thought of chucking it in (underground car park broken into several times in a matter of weeks, plumbing problems etc...) and as tenants moving isn't really that big a deal. But we would never buy here.

Oh, and a word of warning, the new Ashtown developments are literally on the wrong side of the tracks, those level crossings can drive pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike crazy. Take a look at it in the early-mid morning sometime.

I'm going away for a few days to Europe but if you have any more questions you want to ask let me know and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
 
Thanks Bugler,
You have been very helpful, the agent tells me that the apartments in the new blocks are all sold bar the ground floor, which I thought was rubbish anyway, he just wanted a sale on the current ones. Am becoming more and more weary having checked neighbours.ie etc. Really could do without paying a mgt fee on a parking space that is more vulnerable than the on street parking...The apartment itself is lovely though in comparison with what else is available.. Thanks again!
 
The adjoining Rathborne & Rathborne Village developments have 24 hour security. I think Royal Canal Park also. The Earlswood owners voted against having security. Criminals will always target the most vulnerable.
 
To be honest, the security at RCP hasn't stopped it getting "fleeced" according to the local cop who came out when my girlfriend's car was broken into.

Neither did it stop 5 cars being taken at once from the Village last year.

Ultimately, relying on poorly paid security men is never going to solve the problem. The general area's proximity to Finglas/Cabra is the issue and no amount of security will change that.
 
Hi Quest,

I've been living in this area (Park View, Rathborne) for the last 18months and my girlfriend has like yourself bought an apartment in the cresent and I wouldn't let her buy here if the place was that bad.

There has been intermittent anti-social problems with car break-ins and such. But again protecting yourself against this only takes some common sense not to leave stuff in view in your car and have a steering lock. You just need to be vigilant.

In the 4 years or so since park view has been occupied there has been zero reported break ins to property in the park view complex, so opportunistic car break ins is the biggest issue.

On the plus side, the location for town, the airport, and shops is excellent and the area is only going to improve when the park is developed along the tolka. It really is a pleasant place to walk around on a nice summers evening. Its almost like being in the country, yet inside the M50.

The issue brought up by bugler about the developer in trouble can only be Capel, which are the guys building the cresent. So after selling all 4 completed blocks, and the 2 nearing finished are sold too I'm sure they have the cash coming in.

Go for it, the pluses far outway the negatives, IMO

Fintan
 
Surprised no one has brought up the ongoing problems with Smart Telecom - who'll be your only option of TV/broadband/phone in Earlswood. Expensive awful service that no one seems happy about. It's the main talking point at all residents meetings in the area.

Keep it in mind as if I knew the problems it was golng to cause me over the last year it would have played a bigger part in my decision to buy in Earlswood.

Otherwise bus and train links are good, as is the Superquinn/Spar. Although I've had my car stolen in the past (you need an immobiliser), I get the feeling that anti-social behaviour is markedly better over the last six months.
 
Yes, I have bought here too, just waiting on the final all clear from Solicitor. Yes I have friends with Smart Telecom, and also complain about it. Is there any way we can get out of a contract with Smart?
 
I looked at these and really really liked fantastic spec and a good location them but I've read a number of negative threads on break ins to cars and vandalism in the underground car parks as well as the whole smart issue. The whole thing makes me a little nervous to be honest. Anyone actually living there for an honest truthful assessment ??? Please
 
Eh, there are a few of us living there on this thread.

Read around the links I posted in my first reply. Plenty of residents giving their opinions. There's also this thread: http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=45960

As I have said, the area's proximity to Finglas is an issue and one that isn't going away. I'm not aware of any recent car break ins in my block, but then I live on the edge of Rathborne in a smaller development and I've a feeling we're not as attractive a target as Royal Canal Park or Rathborne itself.
 
Is there any way we can get out of a contract with Smart?
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I could be wrong, but I don't think the issue is that you're tied into a contract with Smart, but that Smart is the only provider available. You may or may not be able to put a Sky dish up, depending on your property / management company guidelines.

I'm in a similar situation with NTL, and RCP have the same problem with Cablewatch. NTL are a poor company and I'd love to take my custom elsewhere (and I'm free to do so) - but there's nowhere else to take it.
 
check out www.rathborne.net for residents opinions.

Although, you have to take into account that people are always going to be more vocal about the things that **** them off than pleasant experiences they have!!

Do you not think our responses have been honest, truthful thus far??

:(
 
finty said:
check out www.rathborne.net for residents opinions.

Although, you have to take into account that people are always going to be more vocal about the things that **** them off than pleasant experiences they have!!

Do you not think our responses have been honest, truthful thus far??

:(
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Thats it exactly Fint i didn't mean to cause offence merely as you say residents with gripes are going to be more vocal that pleasent experiences ! (typical Irish ehh :D) Property purchase at the moment is a daunting process with the housing market as it stands. On a positive note I like the location and love the spec.
 
The relevance of Finglas is that we get a lot of visitors from that area to Earlswood. Those visitors include:

  • Kids bareback on horses outside Spar. Last seen Saturday afternoon 3 weeks ago.
  • Motorbike scramblers in the field across the River Rd.
  • Loitering youths. It must be said I don't see them doing anything else but loiter.
It hardly makes life unbearable, but it is pretty depressing to see that when you drag your heavily-mortgaged ass to the shop to see such sights. Before I get slaughtered by the PC brigade I see them coming and going to and from Finglas so I know that's where they reside.

There's also a lot of Graffitti on the canal and a large amount of car break-ins. I don't know where these individuals are coming from but I could guess.
 
gcosborne said:
The relevance of Finglas is that we get a lot of visitors from that area to Earlswood. Those visitors include:
  • Kids bareback on horses outside Spar. Last seen Saturday afternoon 3 weeks ago.
  • Motorbike scramblers in the field across the River Rd.
  • Loitering youths. It must be said I don't see them doing anything else but loiter.
It hardly makes life unbearable, but it is pretty depressing to see that when you drag your heavily-mortgaged ass to the shop to see such sights. Before I get slaughtered by the PC brigade I see them coming and going to and from Finglas so I know that's where they reside.

There's also a lot of Graffitti on the canal and a large amount of car break-ins. I don't know where these individuals are coming from but I could guess.
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I'm not suggesting Finglas is the best area, I live in the area myself (albeit away from the equestrian activities) down on the N2, but didn't you check out the area before you dragged your heavily-mortgaged ass there? Kids on horseback have resided in that area for as long as I remember it!

You can't blame all the antisocial problems in your area on Finglas....I have friends in Royal Canal Park and in other developments in the area who could identify that the anti social behaviour in some cases originates with residents of the developments....
 
Hi there,

I have lived in Earlswood for over 2 years now and i think it is a great place to live. I bought an apartment with my brother in OCT 2005 and I haven't regretted it for one minute. All of my close neighbours would agree with that sentiment.
I have kept in touch with the various discussion forums etc in that time and i really can't understand where some of the negative vibes are coming from.
It is definitely a case of a few peoples bad experiences being discussed but the majority of people who have not had any issues don't see the need to post there.
On some of the issues raised,

The image of Horses roaming the estate is just ridiculous. In over 2 years, I have only seen a couple of horses loose in the area once. They broke out of the field opposite the river road and they were promptly rouned up by the gardai. I accept that this may have happened at other times but the point I am making is that this is an extremely rare occurrance and it should in no way influence somebody's decision to move to the area.

There have been a number of issues over the years with car vandalism is some of the underground car parks but judging by the complaints, this is becomming less of an issue. Statistically I wouldn't expect the general rathborne area to have a higher rate of car crime to anywhere else in dublin.

Regarding loitering youths, I haven't really noticed this to be honest. It's no different than one would see around any shop in modern ireland. i certainly have never felt intimidated at any stage in the area.

On the positive side.
The facilities are improving all of the time. Between the river centre at rathborne and the village centre the following is now available,
Spar, Superquinn, Reba Hair, Bombay pantry, Douglas & Kaldi, Laundrette, Beauty Salon, and several more.

Excellent connectivity to the city centre via bus or train, although the train can be busy at peak times.

The development feels very safe to walk around at night. i have regularly got the nite link and walked home and never seen any trouble.

There are a large number of owner occupiers in the area.

I agree that some residents may not feel as positive as me but that is my honest opinion of the area. After the recent price reductions in the cresent apartment i would definitely consider these as a good purchase if i had my time around gain.

Hope that helps to balance the equation a little bit.
 
The image of Horses roaming the estate is just ridiculous. In over 2 years, I have only seen a couple of horses loose in the area once. They broke out of the field opposite the river road and they were promptly rouned up by the gardai. I accept that this may have happened at other times but the point I am making is that this is an extremely rare occurrance and it should in no way influence somebody's decision to move to the area.
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I agree it shouldn't be a big issue. I found it surreal, even a little funny. Of course there are safety considerations. I've seen it two times at least (I suspect maybe three) in the past 17 months, and it wasn't a couple of horses there must have been a dozen. They weren't panicked or anything, they tend to mope around the green areas.

There have been a number of issues over the years with car vandalism is some of the underground car parks but judging by the complaints, this is becomming less of an issue. Statistically I wouldn't expect the general rathborne area to have a higher rate of car crime to anywhere else in dublin.
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Well, what are you comparing? Of course some areas have worse crime than others. I think Rathborne's is sadly tied to some degree to that of Dublin 11.

I just noticed this thread the other day:



"We had our car broken into recently in Meridian - window smashed and satellite navigation stolen. It was in the Meridian underground parking. Surprise surprise - no cameras! Guards came out,they told us they get 2 calls a day about break-ins in underground car parks in this area."

You need to be security conscious. Leave nothing in view in your car.

I also recently heard that the pharmacy was robbed, and that's robbed not burgled. So that's at least the second business in the area to have suffered this (the Centra in RCP was robbed at knifepoint).

I'm not scaremongering - like yourself I walk home from the Navan Rd off the nitelink but it's not a walk I'd let my girlfriend do. I also don't walk around afraid, otherwise I'd leave the area. But crime is a factor you need to consider when looking at living in the area.
 
I think the antisocial thing is improved to be honest.

The SMart telecom thing is a bigger issue. You have only one choice of supplier for your TV and Internet and the service is expensive (€75 per month) and the service is appalling (always pixellating and pausing and forget about customer service).
 
I'd say all those problems are typical all over Dublin at this point. (thanks Bertie) Criminals will travel to anywhere, but proximity to some rougher areas in D.11 probably makes it more likely to have some grief. Theres rough areas in D.15/D.7 aswell, same on the Southside, so I dunno where you'll avoid that tbh. I'm amused at the description of the train as busy. Jammed to the point of no breathable air is more like it. At peak. If you can travel off peak or use the docklands train then its ok. Its a bit tucked away down there. I would guess that in a car its hard enough to get in and out of at peak. As its very busy at both ends of the River road. The 3rd exit is at ashtown, across the train tracks. Thats going to back up aswell. I don't think they should have been allowed to build down there myself. There isn't the capacity in the transport infrastructure to take it.
 
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