Plans for over 300 homes on Cork GAA land quashed by High Court ruling

High Court decision overturned a positive bid from the planning commission for 319 homes at a 15-hectare site in Kilbarry owned by the Cork County GAA Board

Computer-generated image of the planned housing estate at Kilbarry adjacent to Delaneys GAA Club grounds.

The planning commission has been tasked once again with deciding on an ambitious housing plan by the Cork County GAA Board, located on a cherished site on the northside of Cork City. 

Plans for more than 300 homes on a more than 15-hectare site on the Old Whitechurch Road, Kilbarry, were approved in 2024 by An Bord Pleanála. 

It was anticipated at the time that the landbank, which was bought by the county board in the 1960s to develop playing fields, would be sold with planning in place for 319 homes, a créche and a riverside park to reduce its €30m debt. 

The more than 300 planned homes comprised 85 three- and four-bedroom semi-detached units, 118 four-, three-, and two-bedroom terraced units, 53 duplex units, and 63 apartments. 

The site has the old Whitechurch Road to its west, the Cork North Business Park to the south, the existing GAA grounds of Delaney’s GAA Club to the east with the Glenamought River along the northern boundary.

It was anticipated at the time that the landbank, which was bought by the county board in the 1960s to develop playing fields, would be sold with planning in place for 319 homes, a créche and a riverside park to reduce its €30m debt. Picture: David Creedon

The strategic housing development also required the demolition of a disused hurley factory and other outbuildings, the creation of "formalised walking paths" to the north of the site, a new through road from the proposed site access on the Old Whitechurch Road to Delaney’s GAA grounds, with new boundary treatments in places.

The county board's planning report, originally submitted in June 2022, said the additional housing in the northern suburbs of Cork City would improve the overall rental sector in the City’s North Environs, as well as have a positive impact on the affordability of the area.

City council objection

The plans, which were submitted directly to An Bord Pleanála, received significant pushback from local residents as well as Cork City Council, who recommended that the board refuse planning for the development.

The council said the GAA board had not demonstrated, to its satisfaction, that the scheme would not adversely affect the environment. 

It also raised concerns about the project's potential impact on the protected butterfly, the marsh fritillary, and the rare waxcap mushroom.

In addition, it cited the lack of usable public open space, non-compliance with key principles in the design of urban roads, and the over-provision of car parking as reasons for refusal.

The 'Keep Murphy's Rock Wild' Group also objected to the strategic housing development, writing that the area was rich in history and remained a vital area for nature and people, fondly known locally for generations as Murphy’s Rock. 

Locals said Murphy's Rock was an area of outstanding beauty and environmental importance which needs to be preserved for future generations.

"Generations of people, in particular from the northside of the city, have spent many a day experiencing nature here. It continues to be very much part of the social, cultural, and historic fabric of their lives," the group said.

Green light

Despite the dozens of objections, An Bord Pleanála approved the plans in September 2024, granting permission with 30 conditions.

In its decision, it ruled that the proposed development would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area or of property in the area, that it would be acceptable in terms of urban design, height and scale of development, and would be acceptable in terms of traffic and pedestrian safety and convenience.

However, in August last year, a local community group began crowdfunding for a high court challenge against the board's approval of the more than 300-home development.

The Kilbarry Preservation Group raised issues with the scheme's potential impact on a rare species of butterfly, bats, and otters as part of its legal challenge, with other concerns including the design of roads in the scheme, an alleged failure to adequately address biodiversity such as rare fungi in the area, and an alleged failure to address run-off from the land into the Glenamought river.

In December last year, the High Court quashed the decision by An Bord Pleanála, with the case now being re-lodged with the commission. No written judgment has been published.

An Coimisiún Pleanála are due to decide on the re-lodged case by July 22, 2026.