Taoiseach opens estate of 69 affordable homes in Cork

'Turnkey' housing essential for the housing crisis, says Co-operative Housing Ireland

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has launched Co-operative Housing Ireland’s Brookhill estate of 69 affordable family homes in Carrigaline, Co Cork. Picture: David Clynch

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was in Carrigaline, Cork, today to officially open an estate of 69 affordable family homes.

The A-rated homes at Brookhill estate were delivered by Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI) through a partnership with Cork County Council, the Housing Finance Agency, and Homeland Group. They are powered by heat pumps instead of traditional heating such as gas, and will significantly reduce bills for families.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin meets members of Carrigaline’s Men's Shed following the opening of the affordable family home scheme in Carrigaline.

It is believed that heating bills could be less than €200 per year.

CHI chief executive Kieron Brennan said: “This is a good news story, 69 family homes in time for Christmas. The importance of community has come into sharp focus during the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity for affordability and security of tenure.”

So-called turnkey housing is essential for the housing crisis, Mr Brennan said.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Brookhill estate in Carrigaline, Cork.

"We engaged with a developer, agreed a fix price and stuck to it. As well as direct builds, turnkey homes are essential to addressing the housing crisis, they allow for the risks associated with building to be pushed back onto the developer, for a greater housing tenure mix, for social housing to be built on private land, and for accelerated house building.”