Work on Cork houses left vacant for two decades nearing completion

Three council-owned homes in Glanmire, that have been vacant for nearly 20 years, are nearly ready to be lived in for the first time.

The three properties were built as part of a private development, Copper Valley Heights, and handed over to Cork County Council in the mid-2000s. 

When Glanmire moved from Cork county to city in 2019 under the boundary extension, the homes should have been transferred over to Cork City Council.

However, legal issues have kept them vacant, and the floors unfinished.

The Echo first highlighted the issue in March, when there was confusion over which local authority was currently responsible for the homes.

While legal issues preventing the title from being transferred to the city council were being worked on, a licence agreement was put in place so that remedial works could begin and the properties could be occupied.

Earlier this week, a county council spokesperson confirmed that the legal issues had been sorted, saying: “Cork County Council approved the transfer of these properties to Cork City Council in June of this year.”

A spokesperson for city council has confirmed that the properties are nearly ready to be occupied, but stopped short of providing a deadline, saying that this will depend on when the houses are connected by ESB Networks.

The spokesperson said: “These properties are nearing readiness for occupancy.

“Remedial works on the properties began at the start of May and are expected to complete by the end of August.

“The completion timeframe will be dependent on the connection of the properties by ESB Networks.”