Two long-time derelict Cork City properties set to be sold

Nos 118 and 119 Barrack St were CPOd by Cork City Council last year

Nos 118/119 Barrack St, Cork, were acquired by Cork County Council by compulsory purchase order.

Two long-time derelict properties on the historic spine of Cork City which were acquired using compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers are set to be sold.

The matter will come before members of Cork City Council on Monday seeking their approval for the disposal of 118 and 119 Barrack St, which were CPOd by the council last year as part of a coordinated move on six high-profile derelict properties, all with shared ownership links.

It is understood the two adjoining properties are being sold to a local businesswoman after her proposal for sites was assessed by the council and deemed most advantageous.

The details of the sale price, and the proposals for the site, will be discussed at the council meeting. It is not clear yet if the proposals include a housing element.

The buildings, which were both owned by businessman Dave O’Connor, fell into disrepair before they were both placed on the city’s derelict sites register in 2015, with a market value of €85,000 each. They have lain vacant since.

The council moved to acquire the properties in June 2021 at the same time as it moved to CPO four derelict properties at 62 to 65 North Main St, where Mr O’Connor was also listed as the owner, alongside his brothers, Brian and Pádraig.

Those four properties were placed on the derelict sites register around the same time as the Barrack St properties. One of the North Main St properties suffered a partial collapse in 2019.

Blight of dereliction in Cork City

All six buildings had become symbols of the blight of dereliction in Cork City, and focused a spotlight on the difficulties faced by local authorities trying to address the problem.

In June 2021, the council formally triggered the legal process to acquire 62 to 65 North Main St, and 118 and 119 Barrack St, under Section 14 of the Derelict Sites Act 1990.

The moves were challenged, with appeals to An Bord Pleanála, which ultimately approved the council’s derelict site acquisition order on all six properties.

In her ruling on the Barrack St properties, a Bord Pleanála inspector described the condition of the sites as “neglected, unsightly and objectionable”, and said they detracted to “a material degree” from the amenity, character and appearance of the neighbourhood.

Meanwhile, both Cork city and county councils have invited submissions on draft maps that show lands within their administrative boundaries that will be subject to the new residential-zoned land tax.

The new annual tax, which will be first due in 2024, will apply annually at a rate of 3% of the market value of the land, and will be administered on a self-assessed basis.

It is part of the government’s Housing for All plan to 2030, and is designed to increase housing supply by activating zoned, serviced residential development lands, including mixed-use lands, for housing.

The tax will apply in respect of lands included on the final maps to be published by local authorities on December 1, 2023.