Developer ‘confident’ over appeal for apartment scheme on Bessborough mother and baby home site

The developer of a proposed 92 apartment complex on the grounds of a former mother and baby home in Cork have expressed confidence they will succeed in their appeal to An Bord Pleanála against a Cork City Council decision to refuse them planning permission for the project.

Declan Harrington of MWB Two Ltd said the company was confident they would succeed in convincing An Bord Pleanála to grant planning for the 92 apartment complex on part of its 1.5 hectare holding on the grounds of the former Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Blackrock.

MWB Two Ltd applied on November 17th, 2022, for planning for the project, which comprised one studio apartment, 42 one bedroom apartments, 30 two bedroom apartments and 18 three bedroom apartments and a creche, contained within two buildings ranging in height from five to eight storeys.

Mr Harrington said Cork City Council had been quite specific when it refused planning permission for the project on December 19th, 2022, but he was confident that these issues would be addressed by the company in its appeal lodged last week with An Bord Pleanála.

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He pointed out that Cork City Council had ruled that the proposed development would “due to its height, scale, design and relationship to the historic landscape in which it sits, result in isolated residential blocks in a protected landscape within the curtilage of a protected structure”.

He also pointed out that Cork City Council had further ruled in its refusal that the proposed development would, as a consequence, “comprise haphazard development which would detract from the character of the area and the protected landscape”.

But, he said, if another developer, Estuary View Enterprises, is granted planning for 184 apartments by An Bord Pleanála in a Strategic Housing Development application for an adjacent site, then that will address Cork City Council fears over the project appearing “isolated and haphazard”.

Two years ago MWB Two Ltd was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for a larger 179 apartment development on its 1.5 hectare holding because of concerns it would impact on a site that may contain the remains of babies who died at the Bessborough home between 1922 and 1998.

The Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes in its final report in January 2021 found the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, which ran the home, failed to keep proper burial records and the burial places of some 859 infants were unknown.

An Bord Pleanála, ruling on the 2020 application by MWB Two Ltd, following an oral hearing in 2021, cited the Commission of Investigation report and voiced concerns that the proposed development might encroach on a possible site of infant burials.

“The Board considers that there are reasonable concerns in relation to the potential for unrecorded burials with the application site, associated with the former use of the lands as a Mother and Baby Home over the period 1922-1998,” said An Bord Pleanála in its decision on May 25th 2021.

“The Board considers it would be premature to grant permission for the proposed development, before establishing if there are unrecorded burials within the site and the extent of any such burials,” it added in its ruling.

The decision was welcomed by a campaign group, Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance (CSSA), which has also expressed concern the latest proposal will impact on an area which they say may contain the remains of some of the babies who died at Bessborough.

Mr Harrington said the current application by MWB Two Ltd differs from the first. He said the area where CSSA contend there was a children’s burial ground is no longer part of the development.

Cork City Council designated the area, marked as “Children’s Burial Site” in a 1950s Ordnance Survey of Ireland trace map, as a landscape preservation zone which means that residential development will only be considered where it safeguards the value and sensitivity of the particular landscape.

Mr Harrington said the application being appealed to An Bord Pleanála relates to a 0.5 hectare site that is separate to the area marked as the Children’s Burial Ground.

“Our application is for a 0.5 hectare site across the internal road from the disputed area – we also have a 0-4 hectare plot of land adjacent to the site to the south that we may apply for planning for in the future but neither impact on the area designated a Landscape Preservation Zone by the council.”

According to Mr Harrington, the project, which will provide pedestrian and cycle access to the adjacent Blackrock-Passage Greenway, represents a €40 million investment and, if granted planning permission, will create between 170 and 200 jobs during the construction phase.

MBW Two Ltd lodged its appeal against Cork City Council’s refusal of planning for the project on February 15th and interested parties have a month in which to make submissions with An Bord Pleanála due to decide on the case by June 20th.