“Good things take time, great things take a little longer,” or so the saying goes. And by that measure, things are looking great in terms of progress at Cherrywood in south Co Dublin.
But it’s a slog that has paid off as the country’s largest urban development finally begins to take shape. For its pains, Hines has scooped numerous awards, including winning top ranking – two years in a row – in Europe’s Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark as global sector leader for the mixed-use scheme.
In keeping with the Hines approach of creating an amenity-rich environment for people to live in, Hali, an acronym of Homes Are Life Itself, prides itself on its attention to amenity-led services and fostering wellbeing among its rental community. Within the Hunt complex alone there are 2,000 square metres of in-house amenities on offer, which are free to residents.
“When new residents are officially signed up, they are invited to download the Hali Resident app which allows them to browse local events, book amenities, log maintenance requests, pay their rent and keep up to speed on local news,” Preece said. “We’re in the retention game. We want residents to stay as long as possible, so to that end we are attentive and proactive to their needs. Apartment living can be a transitional point for many people at different stages of their lives. There’s also an evolution in apartment living in terms of changing designs, increased storage and a sharp rise in customer service, which raises expectations generally and which the pandemic may have heightened.