97 new social housing units opened in Cork city with 12 more planned

The Lord Mayor of Cork has officiated at ceremonies to mark the delivery of 109 new homes across three new social housing developments in Cork city, officially opening 97 units and turning the sod on 12 more.

The Lord Mayor, Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, performed the ceremonies on Friday morning, accompanied by Cork City Council chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan.

The three developments consist of 54 new homes at one site on the northside, 43 new apartments on one southside site, and a planned 12 homes at another southside site.

The northside development is located at Duggan Heights on the Old Mallow Road in Blackpool, and consists of four one-bedroom, 25 two-bedroom, 23 three-bedroom and two four-bedroom homes.

Situated on the former Boland Mills site, the development is named after the Duggan sisters, Sarah, Peg, Annie and Brigid, all of whom were active during the War of Independence.

Delivered by Murnane and O’Shea Limited and Denis O’Sullivan & Associates, the Blackpool scheme is owned and managed by Cork City Council and is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH).

The completed southside development consists of 43 new apartments at Hartland’s Square, Denroches Cross.

Developed by Cetti Ltd, the apartments use an air-to-water heating system and have an A Building Energy Rating. The scheme was delivered in partnership with Tuath Housing, who manage the development on the council’s behalf.

Mr Boyle turned the sod on a further social housing development at Farranlea Rd, consisting of a mix of five one-bedroom unts and seven two-bedroom units.

This Farranlea Rd site will also be developed by Ceti Ltd, and a council spokesperson said it was too early to say who would manage the scheme once the homes were complete.

Mr Boyle said he was proud to officiate at the opening and ground-breaking ceremonies which, upon completion, would add 109 new social homes for the people of Cork.

“I commend Cork City Council for employing a variety of strategies to achieve housing delivery, emphasising it is a key priority,” he said.

“I would like to acknowledge the significant ongoing efforts of everyone involved in housing delivery.

“I hope these new properties will provide security and comfort to their new tenants and encourages them to actively participate in their new communities.” Ms O’Sullivan said the three developments showcased innovative design solutions used by Cork City Council in its housing programme.

“We take particular pride in our team’s ability to develop schemes on brownfield sites, providing homes for people close to public transport links and existing community and commercial facilities,” she said.