Construction update: The regeneration of Cork, brick by brick

BETWEEN May 1 and June 30, 162 planning applications were decided by Cork City Council, of which 80 were issued in May and 82 in June.

In contrast, 577 planning applications were decided on by Cork County Council between May 1 and July 31.

Additionally, 133 planning applications were lodged with Cork City Council between May 1 and June 30, of which 72 were lodged in May and 61 in June.

930 planning applications were lodged with Cork County Council between May 1 and July 31.

These figures, according to both city and county council spokespersons, represent a minor increase in applications — lodged and decided on — by the local authorities for the summer when compared to 2024.

While construction is yet to begin for some of these approvals, a number of projects across the city and county have progressed.

RESIDENTIAL

Several residential developments have progressed to the next stage, including a large-scale one of more than 170 units at the former Ford distribution site on the Centre Park Rd.

An application for the development, located near SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, was lodged with Cork City Council in January, and was subsequently approved in February, subject to 42 conditions.

The 176-apartment development, which was submitted by Marina Quarter Ltd, consists of a mix of one-, two-, and three-bed units in two blocks, ranging in height from seven to 10 storeys, as well as a creche, gym, and retail/cafe unit.

According to documents submitted alongside the application, the proposed development would be adjacent to the Marina Quarter SHD scheme, which is also located on the grounds of the former Ford distribution site.

This scheme is “holistically designed” to create a new urban neighbourhood, complete with services and amenities.

The adjacent SHD scheme got planning permission to construct more than 1,000 apartments, development amenities, and associated site works in 2020, and works commenced earlier this year.

Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for Glenveagh Homes, the developer behind the project, said that, overall, Glenveagh will deliver the 1,178 apartments across a number of construction phases.

“The entire scheme will include 14 blocks, ranging from four to 14 storeys over three phases,” the spokesperson said.

“As part of the scheme, Glenveagh is pleased to be partnering with the Land Development Agency (LDA) to deliver 337 new cost-rental and social homes: 260 of these will be cost-rental apartments and 77 will be social-housing units.

“The cost-rental homes include 12 studios, 84 one-bed, 119 two-bed, and 45 three-bed apartments, while the social homes include 18 one-bed, 50 two-bed, and nine three-bed apartments.

“This mix will provide new homes to families, couples, and individuals alike [which] will sit alongside childcare facilities, in addition to commercial units to create a vibrant community,” they added.

“Construction is progressing well on these cost-rental and social homes, with piling complete, ground-floor slabs poured, and structural work under way.

“The homes are scheduled for completion during 2027.

“Commencement is expected to start on the wider part of this site next year, and in line with our focus on building communities and placing our customers first, we will also be investing in local amenities and commercial units in order to build a vibrant place for people to call home.”

In addition to the 162 applications that were decided on by Cork City Council in recent weeks, the local authority greenlit a housing development off the N40 Ring Rd on July 22.

An application for the development, lodged by O’Brien and O’Flynn Ltd in December of 2024, was approved by the planning authority, subject to 32 conditions.

The development, consisting of 20 residential units, at a site in the townland of Garranedarragh in Bishopstown, will consist of a mix of 10 apartments and 10 duplex apartments, forming the final phase of the Garrane Dara estate.

The site, which is 0.35 hectares, is located between the Sarsfield Rd roundabout and the Bandon Rd roundabout, south of the N40 dual carriageway, east of the Garrane Dara estate, and north of the Eagle Valley estate.

The site will be accessed via the existing vehicular entrance to the Garrane Dara estate from Eagle Valley.

The application received a number of objections, including a submission from the Eagle Valley Residents’ Association and the Garrane Dara Management Company CLG.

Issues in both submissions included concerns about recreational use, pedestrian access, sewage pumping, car parking, connections to public transport, and construction phase management.

As set out in the submission that was made by the Eagle Valley Residents’ Association, the site, earmarked for the development, has been used as a sports-and-recreation ground for a number of years, and has become “an invaluable public amenity for local residents”.

Among the 32 conditions set out by the planning authority, one stipulated that, in the interest of providing a sustainable transportation option to serve the development, the applicant shall construct, at their own expense, an active travel route connecting the footpath that runs alongside the N40 and the site.

Additionally, an application for the construction of nearly 100 homes in Cobh was submitted to Cork County Council by O’Mahony Developments Ltd in July.

The 98 residential units will be located in Carrignafoy, around 1.4km from Cobh town centre.

The development will include 32 two-, three-, and four-bed detached, semi-detached, and terraced houses, alongside 66 one-, two-, and three-bed duplexes/apartments, with 10 units having the option of a ground-floor annex to the rear of the proposed dwellings.

The plans also provide for all associated ancillary development works, including the undergrounding of electrical connections, access, footpaths, parking, drainage, and landscaping.

Vehicular and pedestrian access to the proposed development will be provided via the Orchard/College Manor, with pedestrian/cycle access also provided via College Lawn and the Crescent.

The proposed development is phase one of two phases at this location.

Cork County Council is due to make a decision on the application by September 16.

RETAIL

In the retail and commercial space, a 10-year planning application was lodged with Cork City Council for a mixed-use development at Mahon Point Shopping Centre in July.

The application, which was submitted to the local authority by DIE Ireland ICAV, is seeking a mixed-use development across seven blocks, consisting of residential and retail units, alongside a childcare facility and community amenities.

The proposed development, spanning 77,767 sq m, will have 251 residential units, incorporating 92 one-bedroom apartments, 99 two-bedroom apartments, 46 three-bedroom apartments, and 14 four-bedroom apartments.

The plans will also provide for public and private open spaces, with recreational amenities and play areas; a creche with 64 child spaces; one commercial unit; a management suite; and two restaurant/cafe units.

Provisions will also be made for enhanced pedestrian-and-cycle access to surrounding developments, to the north and west.

When the plans were announced for Mahon Point 2.0 in June, director at Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Justin Young, described it as a “demand-led expansion that enhances Mahon for everyone, and looks forward to the next 20 years”.

The plans state that it will be divided in to blocks A, B, C, D, E, G, and H, which will range in height from four to six storeys.

There are also proposals for a car-park extension to provide 125 additional spaces to compensate for a loss of spaces to accommodate the development.

The multi-storey car park, accessed from a ramp to the north of block G, includes cycle parking, storage, and cycle servicing station, located within a designated mobility hub, also within block G.

Cork City Council is due to make a decision on the application by September 2.

Also in July, Irish clothing retailer Penneys announced that the company is scaling back plans to expand their Patrick St store.

The approved application, which was submitted to Cork City Council in 2021, sought to increase the retail space to 54,000sq ft, with the project encompassing a site that stretches from Robert St to Cook St, and from Patrick St to Oliver Plunkett St.

The plans were appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála, formerly An Bord Pleanála, which eventually granted permission in November 2023, saying that the development “would provide for an enhanced comparison shopping unit, would assist in maintaining and strengthening the role of the city centre as the primary retail centre in the Cork metropolitan area”.

The company is still intending to redevelop the space, and is believed to be preparing a new planning application to submit to Cork City Council.

Additionally, planning permission is being sought for the redevelopment and refurbishment of Cork’s iconic Roches Stores buildings.

The application, lodged in July by Tricondale Ltd, is seeking to redevelop the building, located at nos 12-17 Patrick St and nos 38-40 Maylor St, in a number of phases.

The development, which will see the site split in to two blocks, A and B, encompasses the original department store unit, fronting Patrick St, and the additional unit, fronting Maylor St, which is under the ownership of Trimerchant Ltd.

The proposed plans are seeking to subdivide block A, previously home to Roches Stores and later Debenhams, in to four retail units — inclusive of associated storage and staff welfare facilities.

Upgrade works to the space include the infilling of the atrium at first-floor level; the formation of new staff welfare facilities and storerooms; the installation of solar panels at roof level; the installation of flood defence barriers; the repair and replacement of fenestration on Patrick St; the implementation of upgraded lift shafts; and the internal demolition and construction of new walls.

A masterplan document, compiled by Henry J Lyons Architecture + Interiors, submitted alongside the application, states that the plans for the redevelopment of the site aim to deliver “a vibrant, flexible, and high-quality city-centre destination”.

Cork City Council are due to make a decision on the application by September 1.

REFUSALS

While a significant number of residential and retail projects were lodged with and approved by both local authorities, a number of other applications were refused, including one to develop 280 apartments on the grounds of the former Bessborough mother-and-baby home in Blackrock.

The proposed 280-apartment scheme, entitled The Meadows, was to be built on the eastern side of the Bessborough site, and to include four buildings, ranging in height from one to 10 storeys.

Rejecting the proposal, submitted by developer Estuary View, An Coimisiún Pleanála cited concerns about the planned housing mix and the development’s design.

The proposed buy-to-sell scheme was one of two large-scale residential developments proposed by Estuary View on separate sites of the former Bessborough estate, both of which were refused by the planning authority.