There will be plenty of interest in watching how two Westmeath properties fare when they go on sale this week.

Both plots have significant commercial potential.

Land with quarry

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One is a 51ac holding near Multyfarnham in Co Westmeath which includes nice grassland, a large slatted cattle shed, a house – and a large limestone rock quarry. The property is at Killintown and is being sold by Raymond Potterton Auctioneers.

It is being sold by tender – commonly used for specialised commercial assets – and the closing date is Friday 17 December. No guide price has been issued for this property – again, not unusual for a sale by tender – but the expectation is that a selling price would be over €1m.

Crushed stone for building roads, houses and farmyards was made in this limestone quarry from the 1960s.

This is a registered quarry and it has planning permission that has been examined in court a number of times. Limestone was actively quarried and crushed here from the 1960s until about a decade ago. The resulting stone was used in construction of roads, houses and farmyards. Substantial reserves of rock remain to be quarried.

The four-bedroom house at Killintown is in good condition.

The six-bay cattle shed is modern in design with a central ventilation opening in the roof, centre feed passage, etc. The four-bedroom bungalow is in good condition.

Land with future value

Meanwhile, James L Murtagh Auctioneers will this week auction nine acres with a house at Rathwire/Killucan. While this might be a small block of land it is on the edge of the village and part of it has zoning for development, so it’s likely to pack a punch on sale day.

The 9ac being sold by James L Murtagh is on the edge of Rathwire village.

The property will be offered in lots. Lot 1 will be the house on one acre. Lot 2 will be seven acres and lot 3 will be one acre zoned for community, educational and institutional development. Lot 4 will be the entire. The two-storey farmhouse has not been lived in for some years and needs full renovation.

The house at Rathwire/Killucan needs full renovation.

Auctioneer Padraic Murtagh said that the land has services nearby. “Mains water and a storm water pipe run alongside, there is a sewage treatment plant across the road. The zoning on lot 3 can allow developments such as a nursing home, creche and childcare facility, a health/medical centre or sporting and recreational facilities.

“As time goes by this land will become more valuable, so it’s a good investment,” he said. Murtagh has set a guide price of €75,000 for the house on one acre, €50,000 for the one acre with zoning and €30,000/ac for the remainder of the land. The auction is on Friday 17 December in the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar and online on the LSL platform.