Council approves 54 social houses on Cork City's southside after design changes 

The new plans include the reduction of the height of the two apartment blocks and the removal of their balconies

A CGI of the proposed social housing development which has been approved at Scairt Cross, Douglas, Cork.

Planning has been granted for a 54-unit social housing scheme on the southside of Cork City after major changes were made to the designs, first proposed in 2022.

City councillors voted 28-1 on Monday night to approve Part 8 planning for the residential scheme on a triangular greenfield site at Scairt Cross in Douglas, at the junction of Scairt Hill and Donnybrook Hill. 

It will include eight houses - five with three bedrooms, three with two bedrooms - as well as two three-storey apartment blocks comprising 24 two-bedroom units and 22 one-bedroom units, with 44 car parking spaces and 94 bike parking spaces.

The development will be carried out for Cork City Council by Cetti Limited, by agreement. The council first published social housing plans for the site in 2022 but withdrew them after local opposition.

Following engagement with local councillors and residents, substantial design changes were made, including reducing the height of one of the apartment blocks from four/five storeys to three, and the other to two storeys, along with the removal of balconies.

That led to the publication of a new Part 8 notice last summer on a new scheme for public consultation.

However, a third party sought a determination from An Bord Pleanála as to whether or not the development would be likely to give rise to significant effects on the environment, and would require an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR). The board determined in January that an EIAR report was not required.

That cleared the way for a report on the public consultation to come before councillors on Monday for consideration. Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy opposed it, saying “Douglas deserves better”.

He said he is watching with “unease” the “housing at all costs approach” to the wider development of houses, both public and private, in the Douglas area, and said there is no real ambition around public transport, new parks and playgrounds, or sustainable place making.

Deputy lord mayor and Green Party Cllr Honore Kamegni said while he supports the delivery of housing and supports this scheme, homes must be built in the right areas. This area has seen a lot of population growth in recent years without parallel investment in infrastructure, and that is not good,” he said.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Mary Rose Desmond backed the scheme, pointing out the scale of design changes since 2022. “I have never seen a redesign to take place on a Part 8 to the extent here,” she said.

Her party colleague, Cllr Terry Shannon, who lives nearby, described the level of redesign as “unprecedented” and said there has been investment in the area and the bus service is improving, and he took a swipe at councillors opposing housing.

“Making up an issue to vote against it because you think there might be a few votes in it for you is not going to work. We can see through that. It’s nonsense,” he said.

Labour Cllr Peter Horgan described the design changes as “far-ranging”. “Scairt Cross is the frontier of the city. It’s where the city is going. We have to get serious and realise that housing must happen but we need to engage on traffic management and public transport,” he said.

Fine Gael Cllr Shane O’Callaghan paid tribute to officials for amending the designs. “We are in a housing crisis. We badly need housing,” he said.

Fine Gael Cllr Des Cahill said if a private developer had applied for planning on this site, a maximum of 150 units could be delivered under current guidelines. “In some ways, it’s better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. With this process you know exactly what you’re going to get,” he said.