First homes in €250m development at Cork's Dunkettle are launched

The very first homes in a €250m 550-home major development in Dunkettle was launched yesterday — more than 20 years after the O’Flynn Group paid €24m for the 158-acre Glanmire lands.

The off-plan sales launch marks a major milestone for the developer whose earlier attempts to develop the land in the mid-noughties were repeatedly shot down by An Bord Pleanála amid concerns around an inadequate road network.

Now, with the Dunkettle Interchange in place, the group is advancing its vision to ultimately deliver more than 1,000 homes in the area, with a gross development value of circa €500m.

Having secured planning permission for the first 550 homes, the group also intends to submit an application for a further 540 units, which would make the Dunkettle scheme one of the largest housing developments outside of Dublin.

It would also become the group’s largest residential scheme in Munster, surpassing Mount Oval village, where it delivered c900 units on 85 acres in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Dunkettle is an area long identified as crucial for the provision of new housing in Cork: The Cork City Development Plan 2022–2028 identifies it (within the wider Glanmire area) as part of the city’s eastern metropolitan growth corridor.

The off-plan sales launch — through Sherry FitzGerald New Homes — sees the release of up to 30 homes, with prices in the region of €360,000 for a terraced two-bed, up to €490,000 for a three-bed semi-d.

O’Flynn Group chair and CEO Michael O’Flynn said they are “excited” that the first launch of new homes at Dunkettle was finally taking place.

“This development has been earmarked as a key residential site to provide much needed housing to Cork city and surrounding areas with some time now,” Mr O’Flynn said.

“While we currently have planning permission for 550 units, we have ambitious plans for this site and intend to make a further application for an additional 540 units, together with a restoration of Dunkettle House to provide a range of retail and other types of uses on the site.”

The first showhouse is expected to be ready by the final quarter of this year.