The work in progress that is the city by the Lee begins to take shape

WITH Cork city and environs getting ready for Capital of Culture status in a year’s time, 2005, the city’s physical realm really had a feel of being a work in progress during 2003.

The city seemed to belatedly rise from its slumbers of the past decade when it lagged behind the revitalising progress seen in Limerick, Dublin, Waterford and Galway.

Cranes went back on skylines, upwards of a dozen tower cranes in the city and suburbs and long-dormant sites got into construction gear and hundred of millions in investment cash started to flow.

Purpose built student accommodation started to flow with a vengeance in and around Victoria Cross and the western suburbs, near the two main third level campuses and by 2004 there will be real choice available to rent. Already, rental values in the city have started to come back into line with the reality of adequate supply, and investor interest during the year dropped markedly, down to about 15% of purchases.

The city's quays saw real activity too, with tower cranes dotting the skyline, and mixed use projects under way on Lapp's Quay, Lavitt's Quay, George's Quay and around Douglas Street, and more apartments are to come by City Hall on several sites in 2004.

Patrick Street's €12 million make-over got to the two-thirds stage of completion just in time for the Christmas retail rush, a metaphor surely for the broader stage of much-needed renewal.

The considerable modernisation of the city's principal street has had a pretty enthusiastic response, with opinion divided really only over the design of the new standard lights.

The cash from the sale of land at Mahon to Owen O'Callaghan helped pay for the street's much-needed re-investment, and out at Mahon itself the year saw real progress made on delivering the €500 million mixed use development, due to open for retail trading in 15 months time.

Houses at the adjoining lands, Jacob's Island, being developed by McCarthy Developments, also commenced selling with strong initial demand for what is in effect a new residential location on the city's map. Across the estuary, the same developers saw strong price inflation at Harty's Quay apartments in Rochestown, with a new phase of blocks of contemporary apartments set for construction in 2004.

Rochestown saw activity on many fronts: the Mount Oval development passed the half way mark, the commercial/retail units were assigned and one of the biggest houses there, No 76, made €825,000 on a re-sale. The highest price ever paid locally for a secondhand house Gortalough, on large grounds on the Rochestown Road, made just under € 4 million: It might be recalled that this was the first house in Cork city to break the £1 million mark.

Other big house sales in the area during 2003 included about €2 million for Lisnalee, a period house off the Blackrock Road which was sold without going publicly to the market, about €1.8 million agreed for Mount Patrick in Glanmire, and about €1.8 million for Carrig Cottage at Carrigrohane.

In Sunday's Well, a period Georgian home Ardfallen House made about €1.2 million, and just over that sum was also paid for Rochestown Wood House.

In Douglas, over €1 million was paid for Kilbrin, a mid 1900s family home in Woodview, and in Blackrock village Glandore House sold for about €800,000 with a few house sites taken off the back garden.

In Ballygarvan, where over 100 new houses have now been built (it is one of a ring of villages close to the city where new houses have flowed: Other areas include Grenagh and Riverstick/Belgooly) the former rectory made €850,000. The big sales weren't confined to the city centre: In booming Clonakilty, Glebe House in the corner of Emmet Square made a whopping €1.1 million, and may have development potential to the rear underscoring its high value.

In Glandore, TV personality Carol Vorderman and her journalist partner paid c €1.5 million for a modern bungalow Bar na Don, The Glebe near Skibbereen made c €3 million, and Reenadhuna House made over €1 million. TV entertainer Graham Norton put his Cork city apartment up for sale, and was negotiating the purchase of Ahakista House for over €1.6 million according to unconfirmed reports.

The real big headline makers of the year were the development sites, and up at the top of the list was the handing over of over €40 million for the former barracks in Ballincollig, €25 million for Dunkathel House and the An Post site beside City Hall all three were bought in a busy year by O'Flynn Construction in an confident buying spree.

Land prices rose to a worrying €600,000 an acre for the remaining areas zoned in the new county development plan, with almost all of the zoned land now accounted for: There is a real case for further zonings if house prices are not to escalate further.

The designated growth towns Mallow, Midleton, Cobh and 'villages' like Carrrigtwohill saw lots of house building activity, ever in advance of a commitment to re-open the rail line. The year ended with frustration still felt at the lack of progress on CIE's Horgans' Quay and bus station sites. Maybe next year......