Dairygold plan to build 700 apartments on Kinsale Road site in Cork

The process is currently at the preliminary stage and members of the public are not allowed to participate until a formal application is made

The former CMP Dairy on Tramore Road in Cork in 2005. File photo: Denis Scannell

Over 700 apartments are planned on lands of the former CMP dairy on the Kinsale Road in Cork under new plans announced by Dairygold.

Watfore, the property management and development subsidiary of the Mitchelstown-based dairy co-operative, has applied to An Bord Pleanála for a pre-application consultation for the proposed development of 706 apartments as well as a childcare facility on the site of the former dairy which closed 15 years ago.

The process is the preliminary stage in seeking planning permission under the fast-track planning process for strategic housing developments.

It provides for Watfore to consult with Cork City Council and An Bord Pleanála with the latter issuing a decision on whether the plans constitute a reasonable basis for the submission of a formal application for planning permission.

Members of the public are not allowed to participate in the pre-application consultation phase of the process but can make submissions once a formal application is made.

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The latest plans for the two-hectare site at the junction of the Tramore Road and Kinsale Road follows the withdrawal in October 2017 by Dairygold of its proposal to redevelop the former dairy site with the construction of a large retail warehouse and showroom and café/restaurant as well as a primary healthcare centre and pharmacy.

Concerns about the previous plans had been expressed by Musgrave Retail Partners, because of their potential impact on the operations of its logistic and supply chain hub on an adjoining site, although the company stressed it was supportive of the principle of redeveloping the former CMP facility.

The former dairy site was rezoned from “light industrial” to “residential, local services and institutional uses” by Cork City Council in 2019 which would facilitate the latest proposed development.

The site has remained largely idle since the CMP dairy closed in 2006, although it has been used occasionally to host a temporary funfair.

A decision by the board on whether the documents provided by Watfore constitute a reasonable basis for a formal planning application is due by mid-October.