Cork County Council Explores Land Acquisition for Housing Crisis
Cork County Council is currently in discussions with the national Land Development Agency (LDA) to acquire additional land for urgent housing needs. However, the council has been warned that certain areas may face restrictions on development due to the lack of water and sewerage upgrade plans from Uisce Éireann.
Moira Murrell, the council’s chief executive, highlighted that the local authority is running out of its own landbanks and must secure more land from the private sector to continue building. She emphasized the need for the council to focus on “big schemes” moving forward. To achieve this, a senior management member has been tasked with reviewing landbanks across the county to identify potential sites for acquisition.
In the short term, the council plans to invite private developers to submit “turnkey proposals.” These proposals involve developers constructing houses, which the council will then purchase upon completion. However, the council has stressed that large-scale building projects depend heavily on having the necessary infrastructure in place.
While the council can provide roads, footpaths, and lighting, it relies entirely on Uisce Éireann for water and sewerage connections. This dependency has raised concerns among local officials. Following a motion by Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington, the council recently wrote to Uisce Éireann requesting that private developers be allowed to carry out these works themselves. Once completed, the utility would take over the infrastructure.
The council received a written response from Uisce Éireann, which Harrington described as “not very clear.” He also criticized the utility for not engaging directly with the council to outline its plans for major service enhancements in the region.
“We’re trying to zone land for future housing where we don’t know the current and future capacities [of water and wastewater]. We need a full report from them. There is no point us zoning land where we can’t build due to lack of infrastructure,” Harrington said.
Mayor of County Cork, Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley, agreed with Harrington’s concerns. The council decided to write back to Uisce Éireann again, asking it to outline any planned upgrades to its existing systems and future developments.
Challenges in Wastewater Infrastructure
Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre O’Brien pointed out that developers are eager to build houses in Mitchelstown, but are unable to proceed due to the wastewater treatment plant reaching capacity. This issue highlights the broader challenges facing the council in ensuring that new housing developments have the necessary infrastructure in place.
Councillors have also expressed concerns about the pace of progress in social housing. While the council is building a significant number of social housing units, they believe more affordable housing and cost-rental schemes are needed. They called for quicker action in repairing vacant properties and renting them to new tenants.
Fianna Fáil councillors Gobnait Moynihan and Patrick Gerard Murphy, along with Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry, emphasized the importance of providing more affordable homes. These homes are offered at a discounted market value to individuals who earn too much to qualify for social housing but too little to secure a mortgage.
Mr. Murphy noted that “a lot of stuff” is outside the council’s control. He referenced past instances where the Office of the Planning Regulator rejected land zoned for housing by the council at several sites in the county. This underscores the complex challenges the council faces in balancing housing demand with regulatory and infrastructural constraints.
