Cork council and Bessborough landowners to attend mediation to decide future of site

It is understood the State would be willing to support Cork City Council in purchasing the land, should negotiations prove successful. Picture: Larry Cummins

Mediators have been appointed to negotiate between Cork City Council and two landowners at the former Bessborough mother and baby institution.

In early July, An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) upheld planning permission for the building of 106 apartments in the farmyard section of the 60-acre Bessborough site.

That decision came despite the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes finding in 2021 that burial records for 859 children and 19 women were missing from Bessborough, and it was “highly likely” some were buried on the grounds.

Initial planning permission was granted last February by Cork City Council, which had, in 2022, signed off on the Cork City Development Plan, rezoning swathes of the Bessborough land for residential redevelopment.

The decision by ACP to uphold planning caused considerable distress in the Bessborough survivor community, and in mid-July, 1,200 people braved sweltering city centre heat to protest against the development of what they say should become a site of national conscience.

The appointment of mediators was confirmed on Tuesday by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

“There’s a mediation process in place, and I’m going to allow that to continue, and the local authority will come back to us,” he said.

Two months ago, Mr Martin called on the council to engage with the landowners to “explore all options for the future of the site”.

Speaking to this newspaper in July, the Taoiseach said his personal preference was that Bessborough become a memorial park.

It is understood the State would be willing to support Cork City Council in purchasing the land, should negotiations prove successful.

However, earlier this week Mr Martin was measured in his remarks around the site.

“We have to protect the taxpayer here as well," he told RTÉ. 

"There are issues that are now being discussed between the local authority and the developers,” he said.

“I think we should allow that to continue, and we will be supportive of the local authority in terms of the outcome of that.” 

The parcel of land granted planning permission is owned by Estuary View Enterprises, which in late 2020 paid the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary €6.85m for 43.4 acres.

Separately, in 2008, Cork financial services company owner Richard Pratt bought 3.7 acres of Bessborough land from the congregation for an undisclosed sum.

In 2010, Mr Pratt's borrowings were transferred to Nama, which in July 2016, sold the borrowings on the Bessborough land to a subsidiary of Oaktree Capital, a US investment company. In 2018, a company called MWB Two purchased the land.

In 2021, MWB was refused planning for 179 apartments, and in 2024, the then An Bórd Pleanála also rejected an MWB planning application for a 92-apartment scheme.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said it would not be commenting on a confidential process “while the process is ongoing”.