'Scandalous' delays around one of Cork northside's major regeneration schemes

The Cork Northwest Quarter Regeneration (CNWQR) project is a huge regeneration plan which began in Knocknaheeny and Hollyhill more than a decade ago

Phase 2c of the North West Quarter Regeneration on Kilmore Rd in Knocknaheeny, Cork.
Pic of demolition work of 24 partially completed homes on Kilmore Rd in July last year. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Department of Housing has denied that it has "let people down" after delays in regenerating one of the most historic communities on Cork city's northside.

The Cork Northwest Quarter Regeneration (CNWQR) project is a huge multi-annual, phased regeneration plan which began in the Knocknaheeny and Hollyhill area more than a decade ago. The CNWQR, adopted by Cork City Council in November 2011, involves the demolition of 450 houses and the design and construction of more than 600 new homes.

A timeline given to Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould shows that for some projects, there have been three-year delays from May 2022 projections to actual completions, and 140 homes remain in the pre-tender stage, one of which had been projected to be completed in the middle of 2025.

Mr Gould said that the timeline showed a "scandalous" pace of regeneration and that many of the non-housing aspects of the plan had not been delivered upon.

“The pace of the regeneration in Knocknaheeny has been scandalous. It has taken over a decade to deliver less than one-third of the project. 

"We have not seen many of the non-housing commitments delivered – these included a Boxing Centre of Excellence, a skate park on Harbour View road, children’s play space/youth spaces on resident’s doorsteps, a play area at Ardmore Avenue, a play area at Hollyville, an all weather-pitch at Kilmore Heights, an area for recreational use and public art at the Reservoir Site and a multi-purpose sports facility west of the water tower."

None of these has been delivered in the 12 years since the plan was passed by Cork City Council, he said.

“At the same time, the slow pace of housing has let residents down. In 2022, I was told that Phase 4A would be delivered by the middle of last year. Last year, this moved to the start of 2027, and 24 months later, it has moved to the end of 2028. This project hasn’t even started yet - how is it meeting this many delays?

“There are people living in homes due to be demolished that have no idea when they’ll move – they don’t want to invest in a home that will be knocked down, but at the same time, they’re now living in poorly maintained homes. These homes were substandard to start with, and a decade of delays has left them in appalling conditions. People deserve answers, and they deserve safe, warm homes."

The Department of Housing said it is committed to the project and praised the work of Cork City Council thus far. The department said it will "continue to support well-conceived regeneration projects put forward by Cork City Council until the programme concludes in 2028".

It added that the Masterplan and Implementation Report published in 2011 outlined proposals for the "wholesale demolition of the housing stock in Knocknaheeny which had not previously been refurbished by Cork City Council".

"We can confirm that more than €96m has been allocated to date to projects that are either complete or on-site, while a further €49m has been approved in principle for projects that are making their way through the pre-construction process.

"Many phases of the regeneration programme have already been successfully completed, while others continue to progress, eg over five phases for a combined total of 161 social homes have already been completed, while contractors are currently on site for a further three phases, which will deliver an additional 124 social homes in 2026 and 2027. 

"The Department has also approved proposals in relation to another 139 social homes. These are currently working their way through the various project design, planning and tendering phases and are expected to be complete by end-2028."