Cork city in bid to find social housing sites
According to a report in the Irish Examiner, housing officials in Cork city have launched a second bid to identify sites for social housing after the first initiative helped deliver more than 160 units in less than a year.
City councillors recently gave the green light to four social housing schemes which will deliver 109 units across the city — 43 at a city — owned former carpark on White St, 32 on Barrack St, 25 on Blarney St and a pared-back proposal for nine units on High St. Last month, they sanctioned another four schemes that will deliver 55 units.
In total, they have sanctioned 164 units on eight city sites in three weeks — representing a government investment of some €45m in housing in the city. Construction work on some of the projects is underway. The sod will be turned on others within weeks.
The city’s head of housing, Valerie O’Sullivan, said the fast-track delivery flowed from the council’s pioneering use of the EU Competitive Dialogue process over the last year, which identified 31 potential sites, with eight ultimately cleared for development.
She said her department has now launched a second round of procurement under the same process to identify more sites and deliver more housing.
“In our response here in Cork, we are actively seeking solutions in urban site assembly as part of the Rebuilding Ireland Government initiative,” she said.
“The construction of high-quality apartments will need to be a large part of the sustainable solution to the housing crisis in city centre locations.”
Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgerald welcomed the vote to approve the latest schemes. “They will provide much-needed homes to families, lead to the upgrading of derelict and underutilised inner city sites, bring greater vibrancy to communities and are located near quality transport links and existing city centre facilities,” he said.
