Cork City Council has approved plans for a new apartment block that will add 147 new cost-rental and social homes to Leeside’s housing market. The plans were approved at Monday’s council meeting at City Hall, and the new 16-storey complex will be built at the junction of Old Station Road and the South Link Road, near the Elysian.

The development will feature 72 one-bed apartments, 75 two-bed apartments, a private park, and a large retail space with room for one café/restaurant and two office/retail units. The plans also include local footpath upgrades, new public lighting, landscaping works and the installation of bike parking facilities.

The project is part of the ongoing partnership between the Land Development Agency (LDA) and Cork City Council, and a report to councillors on Monday set out responses to the issues raised during the public consultation launched in December of last year.

A 3D rendering of the new apartment block(Image: LDA)

Notably, the Government’s design standards for new apartments mean there will be no on-site parking for residents, as the development is located in a highly accessible city centre area. The development has been designed to promote walking, cycling and public transport, with one of the planned Bus Connects Transport Corridors located nearby.

The apartments will be used as both social housing stock and as cost-rental properties, which will be offered to eligible applicants at below-market rates. Cost-rental homes are overseen by approved housing bodies and have a set income threshold for applicants.

The project is in the late stages of the design process, and once complete, it will move to the tender stage with the LDA and Cork City Council planning to break ground in 2027. It’s expected that the keys will be handed over to the first homes in 2030.

A 3D rendering shows what the new apartment block will look like(Image: LDA)

Phelim O’Neill, Director of Development at the LDA, said: “We worked carefully on the design for this site before putting forward a strong set of plans for a high-quality development.

“We are pleased that planning has been approved, and we are now looking forward to getting construction underway. We are delighted to be partnering with Cork City Council to deliver much-needed affordable housing in the heart of Cork City.

“Anglesea Terrace is a fantastic site with great potential. When realised, this underutilised brownfield site will become high-quality affordable housing that can act as a catalyst for rejuvenation in the local community and create positive societal impact for Cork City.”

A 3D rendering shows what the new apartment block will look like

The LDA is working on a number of other exciting projects in Cork city, including the Cork Docklands development, where they are constructing 302 apartments at Horgan’s Quay in partnership with HQ Developments Residential Company Ltd.

Elsewhere, the LDA is working with Glenveagh Properties to build a further 337 apartments at Marina Depot, and the organisation recently agreed the transfer of IDA land in Kilbarry, which has the space for up to 1,000 new homes. The LDA also received planning approval for 345 homes at a former ESB site in Wilton in August 2025.

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