Ireland’s prettiest ghost estate: Quaint £700,000 thatched cottages sit empty because no one can afford them

While estate agents in England are selling an average of one home a week as the housing slump worsens, property developers in Ireland are also feeling the strain.



As its economy lies in tatters - the so-called Celtic Tiger now kept alive by an 85billion euro bailout - residents across the country have one reminder of the good old times.

Ghost estates have become a new feature of the Irish landscape, with hundreds of newly built properties lying empty after the crash.

The revelations come as Britain's Treasury, which has already given £7billion to Ireland during its bailout, today stands accused of sneaking through an extra contribution to the International Monetary Fund of £9.2billion.

Ghost estate: Auctioneers say the properties on the St James Wood estate in Stradbally, Ireland, are now more likely to fetch 200,000 euros than the stated asking price of 800,000 euros

Overgrown: Tatty lawns at the St James Wood estate, in Co Waterford The IMF increase, detailed in a low-key government order, is on top of the £12.5billion Britain has already committed to protecting the Eurozone. But despite attempts to boost the Irish economy, the sad sight of developments such as the St James Wood estate in the village of Stradbally continue to crop up.

The estate consists of 15 gorgeous thatched cottages, all of them lying empty. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next We're only halfway through seven lean years, warns Governor... Britain increases IMF contribution by £9bn as cost of euro... Share this article Share Perhaps the fact that they started at an asking price of 820,000 euros (£700,000) each, when auctioneers say they are now worth just 200,000 euros (£175,000), is the reason they lie empty.

But nevertheless, what were intended as idyllic holiday homes are now in danger of being overrun with weeds and the lawns are yellow and dead.

Ghost estate: Vandals have attacked fencing in the gardens of the cottages Seen better times: Each cottage originally had an expertly landscaped garden

Vandals have also broken handrails and fences in the back gardens.



The cottages were initially finished to the highest standard with an Irish wild flower specialist brought in to landscape the garden and each cottage fitted with an Aga cooker and plenty of exposed timber.

What can be done with such a folly?



Some of the local community are rather blunt in their assessment.



'Knock 'em down,' one resident told the Irish Times adding that he was surprised the developer built all 15 in one go.



'Funny he didn't just build one or two, sell them and then build some more.'

'Come back in a few years,' another resident says.



'They could be squats and you'd only get a few grand for them. I'll take 'em. I'll put some cattle in 'em or goats to eat the weeds!'

But if you ask developer Pat McCoy, it was so nearly not like this.

