Plans for new Cork homes as CSO report surge in apartments
Plans for 123 new apartments in the Cork suburb of Ballincollig have been lodged with An Bord Pleanála.
O'Flynn Construction is proposing the mix of one and two-bed homes in three blocks located on the Old Fort Road.
The application has been lodged in the same week that the Central Statistics Office reports a surge in planning approvals for apartments across the country.
According to the CSO, the number of planning permissions granted for apartment units in the first three months of 2020 was 9,698, an increase of 274.2% on the same period last year. There was an increase of 3.9% in houses.
The Ballincollig site is close to a number of other developments built by O'Flynn's including the Castle West Shopping Centre and the Old Quarter residential estate on the former army barracks bordering the Regional Park.
The application was submitted to the Bord under the strategic Housing Development scheme allowing the application to bypass Cork City Council.
The development will also include a creche, gym and 98 car parking spaces. The three blocks will range in height from three to six storeys.
The application states that the development would benefit from the recent Barracks town centre development and its central location would benefit from Ballincollig's amenities. It also points to the high-frequency, 24-hour bus service that operates from the town and the plans for a light rail LUAS-type system in the future.
O'Flynn Construction is proposing that 12 of the apartments, made up of six 2-bed and six 1-bed, would be transferred to Cork City Council for social housing under the Part V proposal.
The plans can be viewed on the application website http://www.oldfortroadshd.ie. Under the SHD process, An Bord Pleanála will have to make a decision on the application within a 16-week time period.
