Roundabout way to development as Cork firm pays €1m for pivotal Kinsale Road site

Successful firm EPH Controls acquires pivotal N40 roundabout/flyover site previously earmarked for Carey Tools and Kerry Group

Signs of movement at Kinsale Road roundabout, Cork. Picture Denis Minihane

A development site with possibly the highest profile to passing traffic ringing Cork city has just been bought by a successful, home-grown company for an unconfirmed €1m.

Site image from 2015 sale

Marked “sold” — for the second time in recent years — is a site right by the Kinsale Rd Roundabout and flyover, passed by up to 100,000 cars a day.

It has been acquired by 1997-founded Cork company EPH Controls, owned by members of the Casey family who also are linked to South Coast Sales.

Kinsale Road roundabout and flyover. pic Larry Cummins

EPH Controls, currently based in Doughcloyne, is understood to have acquired the three acre site at the end of the Kinsale Rd, and is drawing up development plans for a new premises.

The site was previously earmarked by Carey Tool Hire for its own relocation, from Albert Quay and Albert Rd, when it sold its long-held site there by the Sextant bar (since demolished) to JCD Group for an unconfirmed €7m.

JCD Group subsequently got dual plannings for tall office and apartment schemes on the quay site, and is now set to progress plans for apartments there — likely with a slightly revised planning for c. 200 units under a Build-To-Rent process.

Site investigation works are in train on the old Carey/Sextant site at present.

Work underway on the site of the Sextant Bar on Albert Quay, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Careys, meanwhile, opted not to develop the Kinsale Rd Roundabout site — which it acquired from JCD Group for its tool and plant hire business.

Instead, in what has become a series of musical chairs moves and relocations, Careys instead purchased a 20,000 sq ft building — Unit 1 Doughcloyne Industrial Estate — buying off-market from South Coast Sales for a reported €2m.

The site of the former Sextant Bar and Careys tools on Albert Quay, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

In turn, South Coast Sales moved to a larger 40,000 sq ft unit across the road at Doughcloyne.

Careys had secured planning for a 27,000 sq ft unit on the undeveloped Kinsale Rd site, now marked “sold” by agents Savills.

Earlier again, it had been eyed-up by the Kerry Group for a landmark HQ structure by the flyover.

It’s understood that EPH Controls is advancing plans now for its own building here, having moved to a purpose-built 25,000 unit in Doughcloyne on 1.2 acres in 2015, a few years after it set up a British subsidiary.

Trevor Casey, EPH Controls, sponsors, presenting the Muskerry GAA Sports Award to Tadhg O'Connell, with John Feeney, Chairman Muskerry Division. Picture: Mike English

Since then, the Tramore Valley Park has opened on the site’s eastern boundary — now with pedestrian access bridge from Grange/Frankfield — and large-scale development sites are also opening up at Creamfields (the old CMP site) on the city end of the “old” Kinsale Rd, as well as clearance works at the old Vita Cortex site and Turner’s Cross Motors site — with redevelopment plans on both yet to be enacted.

Picture Denis Minihane.

On the other side of the Kinsale Rd Roundabout, major hotel and apartment plans have been approved at the foot of the Airport Hill/Kinsale Rd ... with EPS Controls’ newly-acquired site set to be a new pivot point.