Cork City Council set to issue decision on plans for 580 homes in Douglas
Cork City Council will this week issue its decision on plans for a mammoth new residential development of 580 homes in Douglas.
Last month, Murnane & O’Shea Ltd submitted the plans for the 263 houses and 317 apartments at a site at Castletreasure, Moneygurney, and Maryborough townlands south of Douglas.
The plans also include a two-storey, 122-child capacity creche, a shop, a cafe, and other commercial retail units on site, with proposals saying the site and surrounding lands create the opportunity for a “15-minute neighbourhood”.
A planning statement on behalf of the applicants by HW Planning said: “The proposed development makes provision for the construction of a section and extension of the Ballybrack Valley pedestrian and cycle route.”
HW Planning said the site was one of two landholdings in the area identified by the Cork City Development Plan 2022-28 as a “strategic urban expansion area” that will need to accommodate significant levels of housing and population growth in the coming years.
It also said that Cork has been falling behind on its housing target and that City Hall should prioritise larger development sites to fully support the future population of Cork.
A further large-scale housing development is already under construction to the north of the site, with Cairn Homes starting development on the 472-home, €150m project near Douglas village in October 2021.
HW Planning said the new proposed development would be a five-minute walk from the Douglas Rochestown Educate Together primary school and a 20-minute walk from existing bus services at Donnybrook Hill. It is a further 23-minute walk from Douglas village.
“It is objectively considered that the proposed development will constitute a high-quality residential development which will not only benefit the local area but positively contribute to housing supply and the creation of a new sustainable community in Castletreasure,” it said.
In an assessment, Cork City Council’s senior executive transport officer said he was satisfied that the proposed development would not cause “unacceptable operational traffic impacts” in the short term. Any future impacts could be mitigated through the delivery of more transport infrastructure as envisaged under the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.
The planning application received just a small number of submissions, including some from local residents concerned about the impact on traffic and the visual amenities of the area.
One said: “The roads and infrastructure around the proposed [large-scale residential development] are not suitable for the combined impact of all these developments and any approval would be very premature until the establishment of the new M28.”
Cork City Council has set a date of Wednesday, March 27, for its decision.
