Carrigaline gets go-ahead for 300-home project

Planners have given the green light for almost 300 homes on the outskirts of one of Ireland’s largest commuter towns in what is one of the largest single grants of planning for a residential project in the country in recent years.

Cork County Council confirmed yesterday that planning for 297 houses and a mix-used development at Shannon Park in Carrigaline has been granted without appeal to An Bórd Pleanála.

The developer, Astra Construction Services, expects to start on site early in the new year.

The homes will be built as part of phase one of a masterplan for the huge site which envisages the construction of up to 1,000 homes in stages over the next 10 to 15 years.

The developers can break ground on phase one before upgrades to roads around the already busy Shannon Park roundabout.

Tim Lucey, chief executive of Cork County Council, said council engineers are examining possible upgrades to roads in the immediate area, while the council progresses plans for a multimillion- euro upgrade of the N28 Cork to Ringaskiddy Road.

A decision to sanction the N28 upgrade, however, rests with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Mr Lucey said: “Housing is a challenging issue at national level. Private developers are looking to return to the market with new residential schemes.

“The success of applications such as this [the Shannon Park project] is indicative of the input and foresight of the council in ensuring appropriate development in appropriate locations.

“This will be a key development in our strategy towards accelerating the delivery of new housing.”

Local county councillor, and Mayor of Cork County, Seamus McGrath, said the decision has the potential to deliver much-needed housing but added that the required infrastructure in an already congested town must be put in place.

“It is critical that the planning decision in itself is viewed by the county council and TII as a catalyst to fast-track the delivery of much-needed road infrastructure serving the Carrigaline area, including the long-planned Inner Western Relief Road in the town itself,” he said.

Meanwhile, the county council has earmarked four other locations for residential development over the next 15 years as part of an ambitious programme for major urban expansion in the Metropolitan Cork area, including Waterrock in Midleton, Ballinglanna/Dunkettle, Ballincollig, and Carrigtwohill.

Mr Lucey said one of the challenges to unlock the development potential of these sites will be securing investment for roads and water infrastructure to ensure they are “primed for development”.

The council is finalising a “robust application” for the Minister for Housing and Planning’s €150m Infrastructural Fund, and is also engaging with other national funding agencies such as the National Treasury Management Agency.