It will go a long way in ‘tidying up’ the street
11:57, 04 May 2026Updated 16:11, 04 May 2026
Plans have been lodged to use a former pharmacy unit as a new restaurant in a little North Cork town. The site is a former chemist’s shop on Rathcormac’s main street that has been vacant for more than a decade.
Mari Mina Pharmacy Ltd has applied for planning permission to convert two units – a former pharmacy and a former flooring shop – into a coffee shop and restaurant with apartments. In design plans by Urban Soul Regeneration and Aspect Design Studio, the applicants say the project will involve “a complete reimagining of this property, including a complete new first-floor structure.”
They have proposed that the property be “completely gutted” and fully renovated, with a ground-floor restaurant, one new ground-floor apartment, and more residential accommodation overhead. In total, they have outlined plans for four new apartments.
The existing ground-floor retail units have not been in commercial use for several years and have fallen into dereliction; they will require extensive renovation. It is proposed that the project will significantly contribute to “tidying up” the streetscape.
Comments by a Cork County Council Conservation Officer noted that the site currently “sits uncomfortably in the streetscape” and any sign of redevelopment “would be of benefit to the character of the town.”
The small North Cork town was once on the main Cork-to-Dublin road, but when it was bypassed upon completion of the M8 in 2006, it saw a drop in regular traffic. The rural village is about 25km north of the city and maintains its country charm, despite having grown significantly in recent years thanks to new residential development.
The planning department will make its decision by June 15.