Over 100 social housing units approved for Cork City
Another 109 more social housing units are scheduled to be developed in the Cork city centre following a special City Council meeting last night.
Developments approved included White Street (43 units), Barrack Street (32 units), Blarney Street (25 units) and High Street (nine units).
Cork City Lord Mayor, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald said: “These schemes will provide much needed homes to families, lead to the upgrading of derelict and underutilised inner city sites, bring greater vibrancy to communities and are located near quality transport links and existing city centre facilities”.
Housing and Community Director of Services, Valerie O’Sullivan said: “From now on, the construction of high quality apartment homes will need to be a large part of the sustainable solution to the housing crisis in city centre locations. In our response here in Cork, we are actively seeking solutions in urban site assembly as part of the Rebuilding Ireland Government initiative”.
“We have listened carefully and the feedback and concerns from the submissions was considered and taken on board. Indeed, many submissions give a very positive welcome for these developments as advertised.
“This engagement has resulted in further significant and positive changes to the designs and layouts of the advertised applications in some cases, which is great to see.
“Also, in addition to consultation carried out to date, a site-specific Construction Management Plan and a comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Plan will require to be submitted to the Housing & Community Directorate in the case of all schemes before construction can commence,” said Valerie O’Sullivan.
According to the City Council, the architectural design concepts of the proposed developments have been considered in the context of the surrounding properties and the significant urban characteristics of the city.
The developments are the result of a lengthy process involving the project architectural design teams and various city council departments as well as being assessed by an expert panel and approved by the City Architect and the Architectural Inspectorate of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.
