Cork GAA has suffered a setback in its plan to maximise the value of a land bank after Cork City Council made a recommendation to An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for 319 houses on the site.
Cork County GAA board announced in July that it was applying to An Bord Pleanála for a strategic housing development on 14.8 hectares (36.5 acres) of land at Kilbarry near Blackpool on the city’s northside the development of 319 houses.
The board was seeking planning permission to enable it to maximise the value of the land with the proceeds of the sale being used to help offset the debts that it incurred in the €96 million redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
But as part of the Strategic Housing Development process, Cork City Council prepared a report on the application for An Bord Pleanála and recommended that it refuse the application.
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Cllr Oliver Moran of the Green Party, who welcomed the city council recommendation, said there were a number of problems with the development including a lack of usable public open space, noncompliance with principles governing urban roads and the over-provision of car parking.
He said the council report also found the Cork County GAA board “has not demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the planning authority, that the proposed development will not impact negatively upon the environment” and referenced the impact on the Marsh Fritillary butterfly and rare fungi.
Cllr Moran had requested that An Bord Pleanála hold an oral hearing into the development, given the number of environmental questions hanging over it and he was supported in the report by councillors across parties who also expressed significant concerns about the development.
Among the issues highlighted by councillors included the “proximity of development to Murphy’s Rock, which is an iconic amenity enjoyed by residents for generations” and “potential flood risk in Blackpool from development upstream”, said Cllr Moran.
“There’s great relief this evening among local residents’ groups that city officials have supported their concerns with this development. I hope now that An Bord Pleanála will respect that recommendation,” he said in a statement on Monday night.
Cllr Moran said that if the GAA board wanted to proceed with the development, it will need to come back with more scaled-back plans that take account of the issues raised by planners, in particular in relation to its proximity to Murphy’s Rock.
“Murphy’s Rock is a unique amenity on the northside of the city. It received the recognition it deserved finally in the new city development plan ….. We’re in a changed world now and greater care will need to be taken towards protecting and enhancing Murphy’s Rock.”
In its statement in July, Cork GAA said it was seeking planning permission from An Bord Pleanála for some 83 semidetached houses, 118 terraced houses, 52 duplex units and 63 apartments as well as a creche for the site which is located off the Old Whitechurch Road.
It is understood that a large portion of the near 15 hectares site has been zoned for housing for several years with a small portion of the land zoned for industrial use, but the entire site was zoned for housing in the 2015-2021 Cork City Development Plan.
The site, which is 4km from Cork City centre, is bounded on its western side by the Old Whitechurch Road and by Delaneys GAA’s club and pitches to the east, Cork North Business Park to the south and the Glenamought river to the north.
Cork County board chairman Marc Sheehan said that the parcel of land was bought in the early 1960s to develop playing fields. It also was home to the Ciste na Banban hurley factory from 1967, producing approximately 90,000 hurleys a year until its closure in 1997.
“There is no further requirement for playing fields in this area and the land has been zoned in recent times for residential. The shortage of housing in Cork and across the country is well documented and this development could provide homes for hundreds of families in a great location,” he said.
Cork GAA chief executive Kevin O’Donovan said in July that the acquiring of planning permission and sale of the site was a key element of the county board’s strategy towards achieving “the financial security of Cork GAA and the ongoing stabilisation of our finances.”
The redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh which saw the creation of a modern 45,000 stadium was completed in 2017 and was originally budgeted to cost €70 million, More recent figures put the final cost at €96 million.
