Prime development landbank just west of Cork city

By Tommy Barker

A whole new development focus has sprung into life just west of Cork city, where a 15.9 acre landbank offer on the N40 will test developers’ and end-users appetite for prime land.

Listed this week with an excess €6 million price guide is land associated with the former Heaton Buckley/Grafton Group alongside the N40/Ballincollig bypass, just west of the Bishopstown roundabout by Dunnes Stores and the junction with the west Cork N71 routes also, it is 5.5 km from Cork city centre.

It’s close to some 95 acres of land recently designated as one of 12 Strategic Land Reserves (SLRs) by Cork County Council, and one of just six with capacity to accomodate development in the short to medium term, while planing is in place now for 180,000 sq ft of offices for Soltaz ltd on the fomer FAI soccer grounds, which may pump-prime the long heralded Cork Science & Innovation Park.

And, adding to the fray and diverse development possibilities, on this 15.9 acres’s western fringes, are 22 acres zoned residential.

Although currently an overgrown, woody site, this 15.9 acre offer via Savills Cork and Agar Commercial, is all just west of the recently developed high profile Audi car showrooms, adapted from the old Heaton Buckley builders providers’ building, while another developer, Seamus Geaney, is developing the former Uponor site which adjoins it, accessed from the N71.

One car showroom, for Jaguar/Land Rover and Volvo, is now completed and the Johnson & Perrott Group have permissson for a second showroom on the balance of 4.3 acres they acquired there for further marques from Mr Geaney, who has other development options on the balance of the Uponor site.

Might he have an interest here? Just this week, east Cork-based Seamus Geaney sought planning permission at Ballyleary, Great Island/Cobh, for 311 residential units, in a 10-year application from An Bord Pleanála under the new Strategic Housing Development Regulations, spanning 146 houses and 165 duplexes and apartments, signalling a diversification into residential development.

Meanwhile, also in the same west city outer suburbs, Dunnes is expanding and upgrading its 1990s outlet on the Bandon Road, while the William O’Brien site continues to mature, with a new SuperMacs restaurant opening there in coming days in its Costcutter/Amber oil site.

Noting the resurgence, Savills’ Peter O’Meara and James O’Donovan comment “activity in the area is now set to continue with the offering of this subject site to the open market which is considered a prime location from both a commercial and residential standpoint, given its high profile location.”

They anticipate it may be of interest to a wide mix of potential developers, and investors and end users “given the zoning has the ability to cater for a variety of uses to include residential, commercial, retail warehousing or a hotel development.”

Joint agents Savills and Agar Commercial Property Consultants state that “this is a fantastic opportunity to acquire a high profile development site on the edge of the city that is capable of accommodating a number uses given its current zoning status.

Details:

Savills, 021-4271371;

Agar Commercial Property Consultants, 01-2137777