Unfinished 'eyesore' is converted into 95 new homes for Cork 

The apartment complex is the largest social housing project delivered by an approved housing body in Munster this year

The Cascade scheme, in the Castlelake development in Carrigtwohill, had lain vacant for so long it was branded an eyesore in 2019, with local calls for it to be “finished or blown up”. Picture: Denis Minihane.

An unfinished eyesore apartment complex that lay vacant for 17 years has been transformed into 95 homes as part of a major new social housing project in Cork.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien will visit Carrigtwohill in Cork today to officially open the Cascade apartment complex, delivered by Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI), the largest social housing project delivered by an approved housing body in Munster this year.

And following two years of delays and missed targets caused by the pandemic and the impacts of the war in Ukraine, CHI is set to announce plans for a record year of housing delivery, with 700 units being targeted for completion.

The Cascade scheme, in the Castlelake development in Carrigtwohill, had lain vacant for so long it was branded an eyesore in 2019, with local calls for it to be “finished or blown up”.

CHI approached Cork County Council to bring the complex to completion and it has spent the last two years finishing out the scheme to provide 95 A-rated, two-bedroom apartments, some of which overlook a lake, and all of which are close to shops, schools, and other local amenities.

Just over a fifth of the apartments have been designated for older persons, while nine of the apartments have been allocated to people coming from emergency accommodation.

Homes for small households 

The scheme is designed specifically to cater for smaller, diverse household types, including one-child families, as figures show that 74% of the current social housing need in Cork County is for one-bed and two-bed homes.

Just over a fifth of the apartments have been designated for older persons, while nine of the apartments have been allocated to people coming from emergency accommodation.

Cascade was delivered in partnership with Cork County Council, the Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing, the Housing Agency, and Marlet Property.

CHI owns, manages, and supports 653 homes in Cork — 545 of which are in the county, with 1,009 in Munster, and a further 4,480 around the country.

It has ramped up its annual housing delivery from 190 units in 2017 to a target of over 700 homes this year.

The approved housing body sector has also increased its delivery from 653 units in 2012 to almost 3,800 in 2021 — a near six-fold increase.