Derelict Passage West terrace to be restored as contractor housing by Doyle Shipping Group

Doyle Shipping Group will refurbish six long-derelict Passage West homes to provide modern accommodation for its contractor workforce

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025 - 00:05

Catherine Shanahan

An historic row of homes in Passage West, unoccupied for 20 years, is set to be returned to use by the Doyle Shipping Group (DSG) in a move to provide accommodation for company contractors.

Dock Terrace, a row of six homes long blighted by dereliction, will be fully refurbished to provide high-quality accommodation for contractors working with DSG and its partner firms.

DSG’s move comes at a time when several high-profile employers are acquiring homes for staff to rent at an affordable rate to help offset the impact of the housing crisis.

Rear view of Dock Terrace homes Picture: Larry Cummins

Ryanair has bought around 50 homes for cabin crew to rent near Dublin Airport, while food wholesaler Musgrave also rents homes to staff.

A spokesperson for DSG said it had become “increasingly difficult to find accommodation for medium-term rentals, and this refurbishment is a practical solution that allows DSG to refurbish buildings on its own site, while meeting accommodation needs linked to its operations and contractor workforce”.

The Passage West terrace, with many of its windows and doors boarded up, has been a notable eyesore on the road beside the dockyard.

The properties form part of the wider Passage West dockyard site, which DSG purchased in 2015 for a reported €2.75m.

It’s used for bulk and break-bulk cargo handling and storage operations, as well as supporting industries in the broader Munster region.

Cork-based Kumry Construction has been appointed as the main contractor for the refurbishment project, which will include re-roofing the two-storey-over-basement homes, installing new windows, and carrying out a complete internal refurbishment.

Under the proposal, each house will be reconfigured as a four-bedroom property with shared living, kitchen, and dining areas.

Refurbishment of the properties, which sit within an architectural conservation area, is scheduled to begin before the end of 2025, and the project is expected to take 12 months. The terrace will remain under DSG ownership.

John Stoat, the company’s operations manager, said the houses were inherited as part of the wider dockyard site “and were already in poor condition when Doyle Shipping Group took ownership”.

John Stoat, Operations Manager with Doyle Shipping Group, and James Vaughan, Kumry Construction, outside six Dock Terrace properties in Passage West, Cork Picture: Michael O'Sullivan/OSM PHOTO

He said: “This refurbishment project will enhance the streetscape and bring these buildings back into productive use.

“As a long-term operator, employer and a company that actively supports community activities in Passage West, we are pleased to be in a position to progress this refurbishment.”

James Vaughan of Kumry Construction said it was “an important refurbishment project for Passage West” and that the firm looked forward to completing it “to a high standard for both DSG and the local community”.

The 7.8a (3ha) dockyard site has a long and chequered history. DSG acquired it in 2015 from a receiver appointed to a Howard Holdings company.

(left) Jason Clerkin, Managing Director, Howard Holdings, and (right) the late Greg Coughlan, Chief Executive, Howard Holdings show the proposed Passage West development to Brian Cox, Aer Lingus and former Passage dockyard site owner Landy Hill at the Howard Holdings Christmas Lunch at The Clarion Hotel, Cork on Wednesday 19th December 2007. Picture; Larry Cummins

Howard Holdings had paid €25m for the historic site in 2006 and planned a transformational waterfront mixed-use development that proposed land reclamation, apartments, a hotel, marina, shops and leisure activities, served by water taxis.

Howard Holdings later ran into financial trouble and the development failed to materialise.

In 2017, the dockyard site - zoned for mixed use development - was briefly tested on the market by DSG, but no offers were received. Cork County Council subsequently secured €1.9m in government funding that could have supported a purchase, but DSG said no formal offer was ever made and the sale process did not progress.

Ultimately, the council’s plans to turn the dockyard site into a modern, urban waterfront settlement - hailed as “a game-changer” for the town - were not advanced.

Passage West Docks, Co. Cork, circa 1905

The dockyard dates back to the 1830s, when it was founded by brothers William and Henry Brown. For many years, it made the town a hive of industry. At its peak during the First World War, it employed 1,000 people. It closed in 1931 following a slump in shipbuilding.

There has been much local discussion and criticism around the failure to redevelop the site, which has hundreds of metres of river and road frontage.