Irish Examiner view: Once-off opportunity to transform Cork
O'Callaghan Properties plans to construct 1,325 homes in Cork's docklands.
Located in the south docklands, the development will see the construction of 1,325 homes, including apartments and duplexes, across 10 buildings. The total breaks down as 658 one-bed homes, 465 two-beds, and 202 three-beds.
This is welcome news for a country which is going through a housing crisis, and for a city which is undergoing a slow but steady turn towards the sea.
The docklands of Cork are historically associated with industry and recreation — the old Ford factory replaced an even older racetrack which occupied part of the same area, for instance, so a change towards residential use accommodating thousands of people is significant in and of itself.
And very necessary, if the census is to be believed. Its latest figures state that almost three-quarters of people living in Cork were born in the county, the highest proportion anywhere in Ireland.
If Cork people are not leaving Cork then they must be housed on Leeside somewhere.
This project has the potential to transform Cork, with developers O’Callaghan Properties stating that it will be an “exemplar” of the 15-minute city.
If approved, however, both developers and the local authority must ensure the new development is well served with all necessary transport, recreation, health, and educational facilities.
A new community of several thousand souls must be accommodated with all those services and incorporated into the city as a whole, not left isolated on the river bank.
There are exciting times ahead for this part of Cork and, by association, the city as a whole — a once-off opportunity to create a whole new quartier. But by definition it is important to get once-off opportunities right first time round.
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