Two hundred social homes officially opened across Cork city

(Left to right) Brian Geaney, Assistant CE, Cork City Council; Bronagh D'Arcy, Tuath Housing; Ann Doherty, CE, Cork City Council; Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Deirdre Forde, Niall O Donobhain, Director of Housing, Cork City Council, and Alison O'Rourke, Housing Dept, Cork City Council at the official opening of five housing schemes in Cork city, at Laurel Heights, Shanakiel. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan/OSM PHOTO

More than 200 social homes were officially opened across Cork city on Friday with a pledge from City Hall that many more are in the pipeline.

The outgoing Lord Mayor, Cllr Deirdre Forde, visited five sites to officially open 202 new homes, all built with funding from the Department of Housing.

It is the largest number of homes opened by a mayor in a single day in recent years.

“The delivery of homes is a key priority for Cork City Council. I hope that these homes will be the start of a new and happy chapter in many people’s lives,” Ms Forde said.

The council’s assistant chief executive, Brian Geaney, said housing delivery was a key focus for the coming years, with “robust” housing delivery programmes in place.

“The council will continue to show strong leadership in the delivery of more homes across the city and continue to develop a strong pipeline of social and affordable housing into the future in collaboration with all of our partners,” he said.

The council plans to deliver at least 5,671 social and affordable homes between 2022 and 2026 — 3,934 social homes and 1,737 affordable homes.

Last year, it delivered 731, ahead of its target of 637 — through building, acquisition and leasing. Its social housing target for 2023 is 901 units, rising to 1,121 in 2024.

Ms Forde first opened 20 new homes in Laurel Heights, Shanakiel, a mix of three one-bed apartments, nine two-bed apartments and eight one-bed houses, developed by Summertime Developments and built by Murphy & O’Sullivan Ltd through the council’s ‘competitive dialogue’ procurement process. The scheme is managed for the council by Tuath Housing.

She opened 54 social and affordable homes on a former vacant site at Crann Darach on the Middle Glanmire Road in Montenotte. 

It includes 27 social homes and 27 affordable homes built by Murnane  O’Shea through the competitive dialogue process. The social homes are now owned and run for the council by Tuath Housing.

Some 60 new homes, 37 affordable and 23 social, built as part of the larger 117-unit Newton Heights scheme on Mayfield's Boherboy Road in Mayfield were also launched as building work on the scheme continues, with homes to be delivered in three more phases by Lyonshall Limited and Clancy Construction. Cluid owns and manages the social housing here.

The mayor opened 43 new homes 15 houses and 28 apartments at Carrig Court in Blackrock, developed by Lyonshall Ltd and built by Clancy Construction through the competitive dialogue process. The development is managed by Co-Operative Housing Ireland.

And finally, she opened 25 ‘rightsizing’ homes at Josephine McCoy Mews, South Douglas Road, developed on a formerly vacant and derelict site by Lyonshall Ltd and built by Clancy Construction.

The 17 one- and two-bed bungalows and eight two-bed apartments are being managed by Tuath Housing.

The scheme helps free up existing homes that may be under-occupied by older persons.