152 new social housing units to be built in Cork

Construction is to start immediately on 152 brand new social housing units across three sites in Cork.

Part of a nationwide PPP (public private partnership) programme, the units are to be built in The Miles, Clonakilty (52), Poundhill, Skibbereen (50), and Oakwood, Macroom (50).

The programme will see a total of 465 units built across eight sites around the country, with Roscommon, Waterford, Galway, Clare and Kildare all receiving at least 50 units.

The contract, which falls under the Social Housing Bundle 2 PPP project, was today awarded to Torc Housing Partnership by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), on behalf of the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government.

Construction of the 465 units will commence immediately, with construction expected to take between 14 and 18 months to complete, depending on the site.

Cork will take the lion’s share of the proposed units, adding to the 885 that are currently being built around the city and county.

 All construction has happened under the Rebuilding Ireland plan. Using a payment and availability PPP agreement to construct social housing is a new innovation in Ireland, with the first such homes commencing construction under Bundle 1 earlier this year.

Tim Lucey, Chief Executive, Cork County Council, said: “The PPP model is an integral part of delivering local authority social housing requirements. Cork County Council is particularly proud to have the opportunity to be the lead authority for the PPP Bundle 2 Project. This is a collaboration which will have a real and meaningful impact in social housing provision.”

Also commenting on the announcement was Eoghan Murphy, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, who said: “Today’s announcement represents an important milestone in the provision of social housing. Not only will these units help contribute to our national targets for social housing delivery under Rebuilding Ireland, but each development will form an important part of their associated communities, and will provide long-term secure homes for people across the country.”

“The homes being delivered under the Social Housing PPP programme use what is termed an ‘availability based’ PPP model, in which a private sector company designs, builds, finances and maintains the social housing developments in return for a monthly unitary payment.”