86 new homes on northside
A housing development delivering 86 new homes in Cork city has been officially opened.
Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Colm Kelleher welcomed An Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the officially opening at Bishop’s Avenue in Farranferris on the city’s northside.
Bishop’s Avenue is a standalone development of 86 homes, comprising ten three-bedroom bungalows, eight two-bedroom houses, and 68 three-bedroom houses, built by developers Citidwell.
To date, 80 homes have been allocated to families from the Cork City Council housing list with a value for money cost of €294,000 per home. The ten bungalows have been specifically built with the needs of those on the housing waiting list with certain disabilities.
Delivered by Tuath Housing in partnership with Cork City Council, the new homes were funded by via a combination of private finance from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) and a loan from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Tuath Housing is a not-for-profit approved housing body, providing long-term, safe, quality housing.
Tuath delivered its first homes in partnership with Cork City Council back in 2011 at Blarney Street, Douglas and the nearby Meadows Estate in Knocknacullen. The association now has over 1,500 residents in the city.
The delivery of the new homes at Bishop’s Avenue coincides with a milestone for Tuath Housing who surpassed the 1,000 homes in management mark in Cork county.
The association now has over 8,300 homes in management nationwide in every local authority area, housing over 22,000 people, and is on course to deliver over 1,400 new homes in 2022.
Speaking at the official opening, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said housing is without a doubt one of the biggest challenges facing this country today.
He said: “It is a pleasure and a privilege to meet families moving into these new homes and beginning a new phase in their lives. Our new Housing for All strategy will provide unprecedented levels of funding as we embark on the most ambitious social housing programme in the history of the state.
“I believe this Tuath development is a great example of how our approved housing bodies (AHBs), local authorities and our financial institutions can all work together with the Government for our collective goal of increasing social housing stock and providing homes to those who need them.”
Also commenting at the opening was Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Colm Kelleher: “This is going to be an exciting new community and I congratulate all involved in bringing this scheme to fruition; such large schemes don’t appear overnight.”
He added: “Special mention must be made to the builders Citidwell, a local company which has delivered excellent housing already for Cork City Council and the quality of their workmanship on display here today is a joy to behold. “Also, the City Council’s Housing Directorate has been instrumental in getting this off the ground and their continuing trojan work in this area must be acknowledged as well as the Government grant aid and support which is critical. We have the people and the skills here in Cork city to deliver quality homes and communities, so let’s keep up the good work.”
Barry O’Leary, CEO of the Housing Finance Agency, added: “The HFA is delighted to support this new development in Bishop’s Avenue which will provide superb two and three-bedroom homes for families in and around Farranferris. We will continue to provide competitively priced long term fixed rate finance to Tuath, and others in the sector, to support the strong delivery of social and affordable homes across the country.”