New 'major urban' Cork neighbourhood plans underway
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A major infrastructural project to help pave the way for a vast new 2,500-home urban neighbourhood in Cork is set to get underway.
The contract signed on Wednesday between Cork County Council, BAM Ireland, and Atkins, will see the construction of access roads and drainage to prime for development a strategic landbank at Water Rock near Midleton, some 20km east of Cork City.
The 160-hectare site has been identified as a “major urban housing development site” in the metropolitan Cork county region.
It has been zoned to provide a mixed-use development in three phases which will eventually include 2,500 residential units, three schools, a neighbourhood centre, a railway station, and parks.
Work has been underway for some time to unlock the site’s development potential through the Government’s local infrastructure housing activation fund process.
The new contract, valued at €7.3m, will lead to the construction of a 1.2km single carriageway link road and about 300m of adjoining single carriageway roads through the site, with a surface water drainage and attenuation system.
The works also include upgrades to the junction with the existing Cork to Midleton, and Midleton northern relief road, and the installation of a range of services including public lighting and landscaping.
The work is expected to be completed before the end of 2023.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Danny Collins, welcomed the signing of the contract.
“There is long-term potential to deliver 2,500 housing units in Water Rock including social and reduced-price housing, providing a positive outlook for prospective house buyers in difficult times,” he said.
“This will also give a significant boost to the local economy over the next 15 months.”
Council chief executive, Tim Lucey, described Water Rock as a “strategically important project” for Midleton and East Cork.
“The continued future long-term strength of the Cork economy is dependent on projects such as this,” he said.
Alasdair Henderson, executive director of BAM Ireland, said the company has committed to delivering social value by employing local people and investing in a locally based supply chain.
Atkins was initially appointed by the council in 2018 and has taken the Water Rock project from the initial feasibility stage through planning and design, up to construction.
Its technical director, Richard Neuling, said the new infrastructure will open up the Water Rock urban expansion area — which is crucial for Cork — as it looks to meet ambitious housing targets.
Separately, Irish Water is also planning to deliver some 6.8km of new wastewater pipeline and pumping stations to facilitate future development in the area.