Latest news with #CorkCityDevelopmentPlan
Irish Examiner
30-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Second Estuary View apartment plan for Bessborough site rejected
Another set of plans for an apartment development on lands of the former Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork City has been rejected just days after an even larger apartment complex in a separate part of the grounds was refused planning permission. An Coimisiún Pleanála — formerly known as An Bord Pleanála — ruled that a proposal by developer Estuary View Enterprises (EVE) 2020 Limited, to demolish a large number of agricultural buildings and construct 140 apartments on the grounds of Bessborough House in Blackrock failed to meet the planning requirements in terms of unit mix. Just 1% of apartments in the scheme named The Farm were three-bed units compared to the target of 28% set by Cork City Council. An Coimisiún Pleanála said the plans for the 5.1-hectare site represented a material contravention of the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 with no justification provided by the developer for its unit mix. However, the commission did not adopt a recommendation of its own planning inspector that the application should also be refused planning permission because it was not satisfied that the site was not previously used as a children's burial ground. The inspector, Colin McBride, said such a reason had been the basis for An Bord Pleanála to reject two earlier proposed developments in other parts of the Bessborough lands and it would similarly be premature to approve The Farm scheme. The Meadows plan also rejected The decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála comes just after it rejected plans by the same developer for a 280-unit apartment scheme, The Meadows, on a 2.29-hectare site in the Bessborough grounds. An Coimisiún Pleanála based its refusal in relation to that site on both the unit mix and excessive scale of the plans which it ruled would be 'visually obtrusive' as well as constituting a substandard form of 'incongruous' development. However, it also did not adopt a similar recommendation by Mr McBride that planning permission should also be refused over concerns about potential burial grounds of children. An artist's impression of a proposed bridge to the Blackrock to Passage West greenway as part of the proposed 280-unit Meadows scheme at Bessborough which was rejected last week by An Coimisiun Pleanála. The two proposals are part of a three-part masterplan by EVE to open up a large part of the Bessborough lands for the creation of new communities and a large publicly-accessible parkland area. A planning application has still to be submitted for the proposed third phase of 200 apartments in a western part of the grounds. Permissions for the Farms and Meadows schemes were sought under the process for strategic housing developments which obviated the need to first submit an application to Cork City Council. However, the local authority recommended that EVE's planning application for the Farm scheme should be approved subject to a number of conditions including the omission of one of the proposed five apartment blocks and a reduction in the height of two other buildings. It also supported the separate plans for the Meadows scheme. In contrast, elected members of Cork City Council at a meeting in 2022 were generally opposed to both developments due to concerns about historic legacy issues associated with the sites and the appropriateness of the projects. An aerial view of the former Bessborough convent in Blackrock, Cork City, where the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary ran a mother and baby home from 1922 until 1998. Picture: Denis Scannell The Farm scheme had also provided for a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the Passage West Greenway while two repurposed farmyard buildings were due to be used for some apartment units as well as a creche, library, lounge and function space. Estuary View Enterprises said it had met with the Cork Survivors & Supporters Alliance (CSSA) at an early stage of the design process for the Farm scheme because of the sensitivity associated with the location. However, the developer said the locations within the Bessborough lands that were of concern to the group which they wanted preserved were outside the company's control but that the CSSA had no objection to the principle of the Farm scheme.
BreakingNews.ie
29-07-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Planners reject another housing development on site of former mother and baby home
A second set of plans for an apartment development on lands of the former Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork city has been rejected just days after an even larger apartment complex in a separate part of the grounds was refused planning permission. An Coimisiún Pleanála – formerly known as An Bord Pleanála – has ruled that a proposal by developer Estuary View Enterprises (EVE) 2020 Limited to demolish a large number of agricultural buildings and construct 140 apartments on the grounds of Bessborough House in Blackrock failed to meet the planning requirements in terms of unit mix. Advertisement Just 1 per cent of apartments in 'The Farm' scheme were three-bed units compared to the target figure of 28 per cent set by Cork City Council. The commission said the plans for the 5.1-hectare site represented a material contravention of the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 with no justification provided by the developer for its unit mix. However, the commission did not adopt a recommendation of its own planning inspector that the application should also be refused planning permission because it was not satisfied that the site was not previously used as a children's burial ground. The inspector, Colin McBride, said such a reason had been the basis for An Bord Pleanála to reject two earlier proposed developments in other parts of the Bessborough lands and it would similarly be premature to approve the Farm scheme. Advertisement The decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála comes just after it had already rejected plans by the same developer for a 280-unit apartment scheme known as 'The Meadows' on a 2.29-hectare site within the Bessborough Grounds. The commission based its refusal in relation to the Meadows site on both the unit mix and excessive scale of the plans which it ruled would be 'visually obtrusive' as well as constituting a substandard form of 'incongruous' development. However, it also did not adopt a similar recommendation by Mr McBride that planning permission should also be refused over concerns about potential burial grounds of children. The two proposals are part of a three-part masterplan by EVE to open up a large part of the Bessborough lands for the creation of new communities and a large publicly accessible parkland area. Advertisement A planning application has still to be submitted for the proposed third phase of 200 apartments in a western part of the grounds. Planning permission for both the Farms and Meadows schemes were sought under the process for strategic housing developments which obviated the need to first submit an application to Cork City Council. However, the local authority recommended that EVE's planning application for the Farm scheme should be approved subject to a number of conditions including the omission of one of the proposed five apartment blocks and a reduction in the height of two other buildings. It also supported the separate plans for the Meadows scheme. Advertisement In contrast, elected members of Cork City Council at a meeting in May 2022 were generally opposed to both developments due to concerns about historic legacy issues associated with the sites and the appropriateness of the projects. The Farm scheme had also provided for a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the Passage West Greenway while two repurposed farmyard buildings were due to be used for some apartment units as well as a creche, library, lounge and function space. EVE said it had met with the Cork Survivors & Supporters Alliance (CSSA) at an early stage of the design process for the Farm scheme because of the sensitivity associated with the location. However, the developer said the locations within the Bessborough lands that were of concern to the group which they wanted preserved were outside the company's control but that the CSSA had no objection to the principle of the Farm scheme. Advertisement EVE said its report on the cultural heritage legacy of the site had found no evidence to suggest the proposed area for development contained any burials associated with the former mother and baby home. Ireland Plans for Cork student accommodation on site of fo... Read More However, in a submission to the then An Bord Pleanála, the Bessboro Mother and Baby Home Support Group claimed the apartments were not in keeping with the history of the grounds. It also expressed concern that there was a lack of agreement on the interpretation of maps of the Bessborough lands and that there was 'too much ambiguity as to where the majority of children are buried.' The group claimed there was still a lack of proper inspection of the grounds. The report by Mr McBride said it had already been widely accepted following an earlier oral hearing about another proposed development on the Bessborough lands that the extent of the area to which uncertainty persists regarding the potential for unrecorded burials was 'significant.'
Irish Examiner
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Taoiseach pledges to address remembrance for the women and children of Bessborough
The Taoiseach has pledged to work with all concerned to address the complex issue of remembrance and memorialisation at the former Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork. Micheál Martin made his comments at the annual commemorative event on the site on Sunday, during which he also paid tribute to the tenacity of campaigners Ursula Shannon and Mari Steed, and to 'the angel of Bessborough', John Furlong, who have all died in recent months. Mr Martin told those attending the event: Nothing can undo the wrong that has been done, but comfort can be brought to those of you who remember your brothers, sisters, family members. 'The facility, opportunity, the space must always be created and provided to enable us to remember and atone.' Much of the vast Bessborough site is now in private ownership, with several developers seeking planning permission to build apartments on the site. However, in previous rulings on two applications relating to one area near the site's folly, An Bórd Pleanala said it considered that the potential exists for the presence of human remains and/or burials at those proposed development sites. Among recently deceased campaigners that the Taoiseach paid tribute to on Sunday was 'The angel of Bessborough', John Furlong, who helped women flee the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork. File picture: Denis Minihane The board said it considered it would be premature to grant permission for those two developments prior to establishing the extent of human remains, if any. Mr Martin said while the potential for burials at the Bessborough site has been identified in the Cork City Development Plan, there is 'unfinished work here' in terms of existing planning permissions, and because the land is not in state ownership. He said he would work with the local authority, and all involved to see how best the issue of memorialisation on the site could be dealt with. "I am not going to make any simple promises or declarations — these things have to be navigated but I will work with Cork City Council, and in terms of the land here, to see how the situation can be unravelled." He also pointed to the recent grant of planning to the Office of Public Works to develop a National Centre for Research and Remembrance at the site of the former Our Lady of Charity and Refuge Convent and Magdalene Laundry on Sean McDermott St in Dublin which was the State's last Magdalene laundry when it closed almost 30 years ago. Mr Martin said the national centre will work with local groups on the issue of remembrance and memorialisation.
Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Plans for more than 120 homes in Ballincollig refused by An Bord Pleanála
An Bord Pleanála has refused permission for more than 120 homes in Ballincollig due to the development's inappropriate mix of dwelling units. Cork developer O'Flynn Construction Company lodged plans in May 2022 to construct 123 apartments and a creche on a one-hectare site on the Old Fort Road in Ballincollig. The apartments would have been spread across three blocks, ranging from three to six storeys in height, comprising a mix of one- and two-bed units. The plans also included a childcare facility, an internal residential amenity space and a multi-purpose amenity room. Some 98 car parking spaces were also included in the plans, along with 272 bicycle spaces. However, the Board decided to refuse permission for the development, per the recommendation of the inspector, declaring that it "materially contravenes" the Cork City Development Plan. Objective 11.2 of the development plan sets out the proportion of one-, two-, three- and four-bed units that are necessary for an urban town development with more than 50 planned dwellings. According to the Plan, 25% of the proposed dwellings must have three bedrooms, while 10% should have at least four bedrooms. The report said the plans lodged by O'Flynn Construction Company did not include any dwelling exceeding three bedrooms. Of the 123 apartments proposed, 32% were marked as one-bed, with the remaining 68% comprising two-bed units. Computer-generated view of the 123-apartment development planned by O'Flynn Construction on Ballincollig's Old Fort Road. "The Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 sets out clear unit mix requirements to be adhered to, except in exceptional circumstances when justification is provided and flexibility is provided according to the ranges specified," An Bord Pleanála said in its decision. "The applicant did not provide a justification for the unit mix proposed." Before its current application, O'Flynn Construction Company received planning from the board in 2020 for the development before it was challenged in the High Court by a local residents group. The court overturned the board's permission decision in favour of O'Flynn Construction Company after finding the board failed to comply with planning and development regulations concerning the screening of projects.
Irish Examiner
01-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Glanmire's derelict mill site for sale for €575,000
A long, lush, and overgrown slice of Riverstown/Glanmire history has come up for sale in the outline shape of Ballinglanna Mills and old former mill house on 2.5 acres. Overlooking Sarsfield GAA club and a currently under development of c 30 units being constructed by Brightwater developments, the long-derelict and overgrown mill and fire-damaged former residence mill house is priced at €575,000 by estate agent Robert Coughlan of Cohalan Downing, acting for a private vendor with long associations with the site. Ballinglanna Mills & Mill House Zoned as 'sustainable residential neighbourhoods,' it's close to the long-established Brookfield estate, near a Lidl, and almost unnecessarily is described as 'available with the benefit of vacant possession' because it has been idle for decades. Despite a long mill history in the Glanmire/Riverstown valley just east of Cork City noted for a number of 18th and 19th mills along the Glashaboy River, for cloth mills, distiller and grains, it fronts the Cliff Road and is above the river level on an slightly elevated, hillside setting. This is heavily treed, and has a right of way over an adjoining access road serving the new development alongside its long boundary. Ballinglanna Mills & Mill House It's approximately 2.5 acres and while the mill activity is now historic, part of the site with hardstanding has been used in more recent decades for commercial storage. It may have short-term use for a buyer/occupier for similar, if cleared back, pending later development, it has been suggested. 'It's only on a few days and the interest to date is more from the residential development sector,' says Mr Coughlan, who adds that the price at €575k 'reflects the nature of the site,' with the former mill a protected structure. With an overgrown pedestrian link to the Brookville estate, it's close to Riverstown village/neighbourhood centre with a Lidl and commercial/community services, about 1km from the extensive Hazelwood Shopping Centre. The Ballinglanna Glanmire name has been resurrected from its venerable mills past to now be widely known for the 600-home scheme of the same name completed by O'Flynn Group, which is about to embark on a further major development at Dunkathel House, after a c 20-year wait. Now part of Cork City after a boundary extension, its zoning in the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 is 'sustainable residential neighbourhoods' 'to protect and provide for residential uses and amenities, local services and community, institutional, educational and civic uses'. Details: Cohalan Downing 021-4277717
