The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, accompanied by Ann Doherty, Chief Executive of Cork City Council, attended formal opening ceremonies to mark the delivery of 62 new homes.
The itinerary commenced at Haig House, Boreenmanna Road, where 27 new homes were formally opened, the scheme comprising a mix of seventeen one-bedroom apartments, nine, two-bedroom apartments and one, three-bedroom house. The scheme was developed by Respond on the site of the former public house known as the 'Glenanaar Bar'.
The scheme provides an excellent example of an 'urban infill development' on lands zoned for residential development in the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028. The scheme was supported by Cork City Council through Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) with funding in part from the Department of Housing Local Government & Heritage and the Housing Finance Agency.
The Lord Mayor then officiated at the opening of 12 A-rated apartments at Wallace Court, Coach Street, for the provision of social housing and named after the Wallace sisters, who were prominent figures in the War of Independence. The scheme comprising of seven one-bedroom apartments and five two-bedroom apartments over four floors complimented by a communal courtyard for the benefit of all residents. The scheme was developed by Cumnor Construction through Cork City Council’s Competitive Dialogue procurement process and will be managed by Focus Ireland on behalf of Cork City Council.
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The third scheme attended by the Lord Mayor was at Upper Cattle Market Street, where 14 new homes, comprising eight two-bedroom two storey duplex houses, four, two-bedroom apartments overhead, one, two-bedroom house and one, three-bedroom house. The scheme was developed as an urban regeneration project, to replace blocks of flats, constructed in the early 1980’s, that were no longer fit for purpose utilising an urban design strategy to establish a street with a strong sense of identity and to consolidate the existing urban form. The regeneration scheme was designed by Cork City Architects Department and constructed by Cahalane Brothers Limited.
The Lord Mayor concluded the day's ceremonies at Mary MacSwiney Court, Glenryan Road formally opening the new development of nine apartments consisting of six, two-bedroom apartments and three, three-bedroom apartments. The scheme is named to honour Mary MacSwiney, a prominent figure in the War of Independence, and a sister of Terence MacSwiney, former Lord Mayor of Cork.
The scheme was developed by HRP Construction procured via Cork City Council’s innovative Competitive Dialogue process of the provision of social housing and will be managed directly by Cork City Council’s Housing Operations Directorate.
The Lord Mayor said: "I'm exceptionally proud today to have the opportunity to officially open these four individually unique developments which provide a further 62 new social homes for the people of Cork. I recognise the ambition of Cork City Council to utilise a variety of mechanisms to achieve housing delivery, one of its key priorities.
"I would like to acknowledge the significant ongoing work of all those involved in realising the delivery of such developments. My wish is, these properties will guarantee the security and comfort a home provides, to their new tenants from where they can contribute to and participate in their respective communities."
