Plans lodged for 950-bed student accommodation at former Good Shepherd Convent 

A total of 274 apartments are planned for the long-derelict site 

Artist impression of 950-bed student accommodation development at the long-derelict Good Shepherd Convent in Cork City

Plans for a major 950-bed student accommodation development at the long-derelict Good Shepherd Convent in Cork City have been officially submitted to the council.

Developers Bellmount Good Shepherd Ltd plans to build 274 apartments across eight blocks on the site of the former Magdalene Laundry.

The development will comprise 957 bed spaces and include the partial demolition and redevelopment of the existing Good Shepherd Convent buildings. 

The plans also include a café, a co-working space, and security and administrative offices.

The eight apartment blocks will range from three to five storeys in height, and will be complemented by a three-storey mixed-use building with commercial and retail use on the ground floor and student accommodation on the upper floors.

The former convent and Magdalene laundry has been on Cork City Council’s derelict sites register since 2019, and there have been several fires there since. The latest incident,  which occurred last month, saw a section of the first floor collapse.

Associated development works for the project include vehicular/pedestrian access and pedestrian crossing on to Convent Avenue, new footpaths and a raised table at the junction of Convent Avenue and Sunday’s Well Road, landscaping, amenity and open space areas, boundary treatments, bicycle and car parking, bin storage, two ESB substations and public lighting.