Former Cork school building to be converted into accommodation for Ukrainian refugees

The former Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin building has been vacant for more than a decade

Site work is underway to facilitate the conversion of the former Gaeilscoil Uí Ríordáin in Ballincollig. Stock Image.

A former school which has lain vacant for over a decade on the outskirts of Cork city is being redeveloped to house up to 94 Ukrainian refugees.

Site work is underway ahead of the conversion of the former Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin building in Coolroe, Ballincollig, for residential use.

The site, close to the town’s regional park, has been empty since the school relocated to new premises in November 2012.

The property was bought in 2016 by a development company, Tango View Ltd, and a number of planning applications followed in a bid to develop apartments on the site, all of which were refused.

A computer-generated image of the housing plan which had been approved for the site but never progressed due to "hyperinflation in construction costs".

But following a successful appeal to An Bord Pleanála, the company finally secured planning permission in 2020 for the demolition of the building and the construction of 21 apartments in a four-storey complex.

However, in documents seen by the Irish Examiner, the company blamed “hyperinflation in construction costs caused by the war in Ukraine” for not proceeding with the apartment scheme.

It says it is now availing of a change in the planning legislation which allowed for the conversion of schools to residential accommodation to house Ukrainian refugees.

Those planning exemptions also relate to the conversion of hotels, hostels, convents, monasteries, and defence forces barracks to refugee accommodation and to reception and orientation centres for international protection applicants.

The company says it offered the former school property to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and following a period of negotiation, it says an agreement was reached in February in relation to the property.

The company now plans to plough up to €2m into the redevelopment of the former school buildings to provide 14 self-contained self-catering units to accommodate up to 94 people, with the department paying a daily rate of €47.50 per resident.

The company has been told that all the building works must comply with building regulations and that the building must be fire safety compliant, with a fire safety certificate issued by the city council’s fire safety officer.

However, it is not clear if one of the conditions which was attached to the An Bord Pleanála grant of planning in 2020 in relation to the provision of a raised parallel crossing for pedestrians and cyclists outside the property will be required in this case.

In her November 2020 report, the board’s planning inspector noted that pedestrian facilities along Inniscarra Road near the site “are deficient” with the footpath directly opposite not wide enough to facilitate two-way movement without having to step onto the carriageway, and she said that was a matter for the local authority to resolve.

The former school building is among of number of buildings across the city which are under active consideration for housing those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Work has been ongoing for some time on the former North Presentation Convent building in Blackpool which it is understood will be able to accommodate between 100 and 120 people.

Up to 200 Ukrainian refugees are expected to be accommodated in Hyde Park House and the adjoining former Clifton Convalescent Home in Montenotte.