And you can't get much closer than Herberton, a new apartment complex set to be a self-contained village, developed by the Maplewood Elliott JV partnership at St James's Walk, just off the South Circular Road in Dublin 8.

Set between the Luas station in Rialto and the banks of the Grand Canal, Herberton is very central to the city, with Stephen's Green just 30 minutes walk away. The development is also within a few minutes walk of both St James Hospital and the Coombe, ensuring good rental potential for these units. Other nearby attractions include the Irish Museum of Modern Art and Kilmainham Gaol.

Currently under construction with the first 50 apartments due to be completed by this time next year, Herberton will eventually include on-site shops, bars, restaurants, creche, community hall and other leisure facilities, along with a new park, resulting in expenditure of over 200m by the developers.

Designed by joint architects Anthony Reddy & Associates, and Metropolitan Workshop, this is a contemporary scheme, combining a good mix of one-, two- and three-bed apartments, and twoand three-bed townhouses due to be released in a later phase.

Finished in a mix of brick, timber, terracotta, render and glazing, apartments here are bright and airy with large windows and balconies. All parking will be at basement level, while several of the sixand seven-storey buildings will have roof gardens.

All units come with fitted kitchens and appliances, custom-made wardrobes, high-speed lift access to all floors, full tiling in bathrooms and en-suites, and large timber-decked balconies.

Need to know

Price: one-bed apartments from 300,000; two-beds from 330,000; three-beds from 445,000 Size of unit: one-beds 45sq m to 60sq m (480sq ft to 640sq ft); two-beds 64sq m to 80sq m (685sq ft to 860sq ft); three-beds 82sq m to 110sq m (880sq ft to 1180sq ft) Standard features: fitted kitchens, lift access to all levels, large balconies Size of development: 130 units On-site facilities: plans for a park, bars, shops and gym Completion date: spring 2008 Transport links: 30 minutes walk from Stephen's Green; beside the Luas line in Rialto Distance from Dublin: two miles from St Stephen's Green Agent: Hooke & MacDonald 01-631 8402 & GPK Properties 01-490 3511