Work to restart 'within weeks' on stalled Cork City Council houses after dispute resolved

The Cork Northwest Quarter Regeneration project involves the demolition of around 450 homes and the construction of almost 650 new homes in phases

The housing construction site on Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeney, in 2021. The council now plans to move quickly to appoint new contractors to finish these homes on the Kilmore Road, with hopes they should be on site “within weeks, rather than months”, a source said. Picture: Larry Cummins

A protracted contractual dispute which saw building work grind to a halt on 24 council homes on Cork’s northside as part of one of the largest housing regeneration projects in the State has been resolved.

It clears the way for building work to resume on the homes in phase 2C of the multi-million Cork Northwest Quarter Regeneration project — the massive multi-annual and phased regeneration project which began in the Knocknaheeny and Hollyhill area on city's northside almost a decade ago.

The council now plans to move quickly to appoint new contractors to finish these homes on the Kilmore Road, with hopes they should be on site “within weeks, rather than months”, a source said.

Work started on Phase 2C in March 2020, but all work ground to a halt a few months later when a dispute arose over elements of the work. The houses were at various stages of completion. 

Talks to resolve the problems failed, but the contract provided for a conciliation process.

It finally emerged on Wednesday that following a lengthy process, the arbitrator had effectively found in favour of the council, which allowed it to terminate its contract with the contractor without additional cost to the taxpayer.

The contractor has no other contracts for housing delivery in the wider regeneration project.

Three-bedroomed houses at the City Northwest quarter regeneration phase 2 at Beara Drive, Harbour View Road, Cork, which were opened by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr John Sheehan, last year. Picture: Dan Linehan

In a statement, the council confirmed that it had “concluded its contractual arrangements” with the contractor, and that its housing delivery and regeneration team will “immediately re-set the project to deliver quality homes on the site for the community in a timely manner”.

Local Fianna Fáil Cllr Tony Fitzgerald said: “Government funding was never an issue for these 24 units. I now look forward to construction recommencing as soon as possible."

But Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said the dispute should never have been allowed to drag on for so long.

The massive housing regeneration scheme in this part of the city involves the demolition of around 450 homes and the construction of almost 650 new homes in phases involving multiple individual contracts across a vast 207-acre suburban site, bounded on the west by Harbour View Road, by Kilmore Road to the north, and by Churchfield to the east.