A video shows the dramatic transformation of a stretch of land left untouched for decadesTrees felled at site of new Kinsale Road homes
If you haven’t travelled along the Kinsale Road in recent weeks, you’re in for a bit of a surprise, as hundreds of trees have been felled to make way for a major new housing development along one of Cork’s most important commuter roads.
Crews have been working to clear the site in recent weeks as construction teams prepare to break ground at the development later this year. It’s a dramatic transformation for a stretch of road that has been left pretty much untouched for decades, and commuters who were used to seeing lush greenery on either side were taken aback by the sudden shift.
A total of 121 homes will be built at the site in partnership with Clúid, an approved housing body which already manages over 1,200 homes across Cork city and county. Once complete, the homes will be offered to qualified tenants through a cost-rental scheme which provides homes for lower-income households at below-market rates.
The site along the Kinsale Road(Image: Mike Spillane)
The site is owned by property developer Dennis McBarron, who was granted conditional planning permission for the development by Cork City Council in June 2022. The council approved plans for up to 134 residential units, a 158-bed hotel, and a three-story ‘neighbourhood centre building’ that would include space for a restaurant, shops, a gym, a dental practice, a physiotherapy studio, and a creche, among other amenities.
The site was originally part of a larger parcel of land that stretched across both sides of the road. The 11.5-acre site was sold in 2006 for an eye-watering €27.5 million. It was later split into two parts and resold to separate developers. The 7.23-acre site was acquired by Mr Barron when it returned to market in 2018 with a starting price of €3m – a significant drop from the €2..4m per acre valuation it achieved in 2006, which would have valued the land at €17.2m.
Elsewhere in Cork city, Mr Barron is leading an apartment development near George’s Quay after Cork City Council approved plans for a new five-story residential building comprising 16 apartments late last year.
The site is located on Dunbar Street, behind the well-known Palestinian restaurant Izz Café. Mr Barron has applied to retain alterations made to the restaurant property, which is a Protected Structure, including the recent amalgamation of the two ground-floor units into a single restaurant.
The new cost rental apartments on the Kinsale Road will be a welcome boost to housing on Leeside, and action at the site follows the sod turning of another major development in Cork city. Earlier this month, Taoiseach Micheál Martin broke ground at the Creamfields site on the Kinsale Road, once home to CMP Dairies, and the first 100 homes should be ready for residents within two years
The scheme is being driven by Respond, Ireland’s largest construction-led approved housing body and service provider, and will deliver 606 new social and cost-rental homes close to the city centre. It was the Taoiseach’s second big social housing launch of the day, following another sod-turning at the nearby Railyard development of over 200 homes.
Video and lead image courtesy of Mike Spillane