Go-ahead for 608 new homes in Cork

Permission for a 608-house development in Cork has been approved by An Bord Pleanála, under new strategic housing development (SHD) guidelines designed to fast-track new homes and student apartments to tackle the housing crisis.

The approval for the development at Ballinglanna, Glanmire, for O’Flynn Construction is the first grant of permission outside of Dublin under the SHD process, which was introduced last year. It is also the first grant of a SHD permission for a residential development anywhere in the country by An Bord Pleanála.

In Dublin, the board rejected an even more significant SHD application for 900 houses and apartments in Clay Farm, Leopardstown in January, while allowing over 2,000 new student beds in University College Dublin.