THE SITE OF the former Apollo House in Dublin city centre has gone on the market. The office block became the focus of national news in late 2016 when it was occupied by dozens of homeless people and activists, under the banner of the ‘Home Sweet Home’ campaign.

Protests and rallies were held at the former Nama owned building over the course of that winter, with the issue raised in the Dáil on numerous occasions. The group said over 200 people used the facility as shelter during the four-week-long occupation, between December 2016 and January 2017.

In the end 35 people were evicted in January 2017 with alternative accommodation offered to the homeless people involved. However campaigners said at least one of those involved in the occupation has since died on the streets of Dublin.

The block was razed to the ground in February of this year and is now a clear site ready for construction.

The 0.72 acre site has full planning permission for a 10-storey over basement office building extending to approx.12,622 sq m (135,863 sq ft). The design includes ground floor retail, café, bar and restaurant units, as well as a small car park facility.

Savills is handling the sale on behalf of Simon Coyle and Tom O’Brien of Mazars. The estate agent said the new building will have panoramic views of the Dublin docklands with a wrap around terrace on the eighth floor.

Artist's impression of the new building at Apollo House, Dublin. Source: Savills

At a time when office facilities are needed in the capital Savills’ Mark Reynolds said now is a good time for buyers to expand their offerings in the area:

There are very few sites with development potential remaining in Dublin’s CBD, so this truly is one of the last opportunities to acquire a site of scale in a location where demand for office space is strong.

File photo: Apollo House Source: Sam Boal

The announcement of the sale of the now iconic site comes just hours after the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy faced a motion of no confidence in the Dáil, over his handling of the homelessness crisis.