Comhairle Chontae Chorcaí - Cork County Council - Housing Directorate

Comhairle Chontae Chorcaí
                Cork County Council – Housing Directorate

                                 Design Report
                              For
           2 no. Social Housing Unit Development at
     Doctor Croke Place, Garranmacgarrett, Kibrin, Co. Cork.

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Document Control

Digital Title & Server         U:\_North\ATS1_N_2018_037 Kilbrin, Dr Croke Place serviced
Location:                      sites 17 &18\Admin\15.0 Planning\15.1 Part VIII.

Prepared by:                   J Crossland, RIBA, MRIAI for and on behalf of Cork County Council,
                               Architects, Housing Directorate.

Date:                          12.05.2021

Revision:                      A
                               Design adjusted to councillor concerns re; ground floor shower.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

   1. Introduction

   2. Site
       2.1     Site Context
       2.2     Site Capacity
       2.3     Strategic site location and description
       2.4     Infrastructure & Services

   3. Planning Policy
       3.1     Development Plan and Local Area Plan
       3.2     Car parking and electric car charging
       3.3     Public open space
       3.4     Planning history

    4. Environmental & Heritage Considerations
       4.1     Environmental parameters
       4.2     Archaeological and architectural heritage
       4.3     Flooding

    5. Project Proposal
        5.1    Design Statement
        5.2    Housing Need & Provision
        5.3    Proposed site layout and unit types
        5.4    Material palette

    6. Conclusion

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1.0 Introduction
This report relates to an application to seek Part 8 approval for the construction of 2 no. social housing
units at Doctor Croke Place in Kilbrin.

2.0 Site
2.1 Site Context
The subject site is situated at the centre of the Historic village of Kilbrin, County Cork. The overall
available developable land consists of 2 no. sites located in the southeast of an existing housing estate
within a mixed-tenure, mixed-income village (marginally above average based on Pobal HP Deprivation
Index Maps). The 2016 census small area contains 122 dwellings, only 15 of which are rented.

The subject site was purchased by Cork County Council a long time ago and therefore can be efficiently
utilised to meet some of the demand for social housing in the area.

Figure 1 the location of the village in relation to nearby settlements.

The existing housing estate at Doctor Croke Place, was built by Cork County Council, comprising of 16
semi-detached or terrace two story units, and 2 serviced sites. This application is to develop part of
serviced site no.17 for social housing.

This estate was developed in phases; the latest phase included development of the 2 sites. However at
that time the estate foul drainage system crossed site no. 17 to a septic tank in site no.18, so this
prevented sale of the sites awaiting the expected upgrade of the village foul system and
decommissioning of the septic tank. Since that time the drainage has been upgraded, but the estate
drainage still passes through the frontage of the serviced sites before being diverted into the estate

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access road. This has resulted in the 2 proposed dwellings and their plot boundaries within serviced site
no.17 being set back from the estate road, so the Irish Water way leave for the existing estate drainage
remains in public open space.

Figure 2 On this site location image of the village core - the blue line indicates the boundary of the 2 no.
serviced sites which remain in the estate, and the red line is the proposed development boundary.

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Figure 3 the existing social house on western boundary of site

2.2 Site Capacity

The overall housing site area is 0.056 Hectares. The proposal of two number dwellings achieves a
density of approximately 35 dwellings per hectare. The application does not prevent the rest of the land
bank being developed in the future for social/affordable units or a private dwelling on the remaining
serviced site.

2.3 Strategic site location and description

The developable lands are bounded by social housing to the west, with farmland to the south, farmland
to the east (which has a lapsed private planning permission for 8 houses) and the estate access road.

Cork County Council social housing in the area consists of the existing 16 no. two story houses in Doctor
Croke Place. The existing estate has matured well and constitutes a well-balanced and self-maintained
mixed housing development in a rural small village setting. The Landdirect.ie website indicates 9 of the
existing social dwellings are now in private ownership, so the proposed development of 2 further social
houses will not radically change the original or existing mix. A strong degree of ownership and pride in
one’s dwelling is evident from the many well-maintained gardens and facades.

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2.4 Infrastructure & Services
The site is relatively flat, falling slight to the south, and has utility connections/ducting to the boundary
of the original 2 no. serviced sites. The existing estate access road will be utilised as the main shared
entrance for the proposed development. Perpendicular parking will be provided to create a compact
environment reducing the area of hard surfaces while providing parking in close proximity to the
dwellings.

Cork County Council Architect’s Dept. has made initial pre-connection enquiries with Irish Water in
regard to drinking water and foul drainage infrastructure. Irish Water responded to note that subject to
a valid connection agreement being put in place, the proposed connection to the Irish Water network
can be facilitated.

Water:
There is an existing water main in the estate access road.

Foul:
There is existing combined foul drainage along the estate’s access road and running through the site.
The area engineers were contacted and confirmed that adequate water and wastewater capacity is
available. The redundant foul line crossing the site (to the redundant septic tank) will need to be
removed from site no.17 as part of the works.

Storm:
The estate was constructed with a storm drain to allow future connection when the existing combined
sewerage system is separated, but this has not yet happened. The private pedestrian areas of the house
plots will be drained to soakaways in the rear garden, as per the last phase of the estate.

Eir: Eir is available in the estate and will be provided, pending agreement with Eir.

ESB: ESB is available on the site pending agreement with ESB. There is an ESB mini-pillar and streetlight
on the frontage of serviced site no. 17 so the car parking has been located to avoid the cost (and risk of
delay) of relocating these.

3.0 Planning Policy
3.1Development Plan and Local Area Plan

The Cork County Council Development Plan 2014 does not specify an exact density for villages but the
two units will match the density of the existing estate and this has been deemed appropriate in
consultation with Cork County Council’s Planning Department.

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The Kanturk Mallow Municipal District Local Area Plan 2017 Objectives state:
       ‘DB-‐01
       (a) Within the development boundary of Kilbrin encourage the development of up to 20
        dwellings during the plan period.
       (b) Appropriate and sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure, that secures the
        objectives of the Water Framework Directive and the protection of the Blackwater
       Special Area of Conservation must be available to cater for the development of the
        settlement.’

The proposed site is within the settlement boundary of the village, we note these lands had permission
for 2 dwellings before the current plan came into force.

3.2 Car parking and electric car charging

The proposed development will include 4 new car parking spaces parking spaces off the existing estate
access road.
The proposed development layout does not have a public footpath between the car parking beyond the
plot and each dwelling, so an electric car could be charged from each house. This is in line with the
requirements of the Department regarding social housing and Cork County Development Plan 2014
[table 1a) note 9] to ‘future proof’ new residential developments.

3.3 Public open space
This infill application is to build the next phase of an existing estate. The existing house plots have large
gardens and in previous phase permissions there was not a requirement for public open space. The pre
planning discussions with the planners did not require public open space for the whole mature estate.

3.4 Planning history
The each of the two sites has Part VIII permission for a dwelling. The Cork County Council Planning
Enquiry system does not record any private planning applications or pre planning enquiries on site 17 or
18.
There is a lapsed permission for an additional dwelling at the entrance to the estate in the garden of a
dwelling (that is now in private ownership) this is precedence for reducing plot sizes and increasing
density in the estate.

4.0 Environmental & Heritage Considerations
4.1 Environmental parameters

Preliminary Examination for EIS
Refer to the Senior Planner report.

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Appropriate Assessment Screening

An ecologist report was commissioned and issued to the Heritage Section of the Planning Department
and Cork County Council’s Ecologist issued a Determination Report. Which concluded beyond
reasonable scientific doubt that the proposed works, individually or in combination with other
plans/projects are not likely to have a significant effect on a European site (Natura 2000 site). It was
therefore considered that a Stage 2 Appropriate Assessment under Section 177V of the Planning and
Development Act 2000 (as amended), is not required.

4.2 Archaeological and architectural heritage
Size of the development
Archaeological testing of sites over 0.5ha is a requirement of the development plan. This new
development only extends to 0.056ha (the rest of the landholding is not part of this application)
therefore testing is not required due to the size of the project.
We note that the sites were developed for the foul drainage of the earlier phases of the estate;
subsequently alterations were made to the foul drainage to connect into the upgraded village system.
Further that boundaries for 2 residential sites have been erected; so much of the ground has already
been disturbed in modern times.

An Archaeological and Heritage Assessment was carried out by the Heritage Unit in Cork County Council
Planning Department. It was confirmed that there were no specific requirements.

4.3 Flooding
The elevation of the subject site places it outside any identified Flood Zones. There are no past flood
events recorded on the Floodinfo.ie website.

Figure 4 the extent of flooding risk in the locality (excerpt from OPW flood maps)

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5.0 Project Proposal
5.1 Design Statement

A full set of drawings including site location, site layout, plans, sections & elevations are included in the
planning application.

The sites are considered an infill brown field development. The project brief seeks to integrate both the
existing and proposed social estates into one.

As can be seen on the drawings the proposed housing units follow the existing development grain and
patterns, creating something similar which will honestly show the different periods of development of
the estate and complies with current Building Regulations. The proposed house design is acceptable to
the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government Architectural Inspector and is a similar
house type to other projects granted permission in other rural locations within County Cork.

The two semi-detached houses match the massing of the existing mirrored two storey semi-detached
units within the estate with front entrances and circulation centred by the party wall.

Figure 5 the house elevations of earlier phases of the existing estate

As the back garden of the adjacent units are approximately 38 metres long, it was decided not to use
the full depth of the site as this would amount to an inefficient use of the available land and would

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incur extra costs related to elongated boundary walls. The more reasonably sized back gardens (11
metres deep) to modern estate standards will also be more manageable for the residents to maintain.

5.2     Housing Need & Provision

In Cork County Council, the housing waiting list for Social Housing in the Kilbrin area currently stands at
4 approved applicants (as of 2018) for this house size. There are no special needs families on the list.

5.3 Proposed Site Layout and Unit Types

The site is located on back lands so is not prominent when passing through the village. The house type
is informed by the existing contextual typologies of the area.

The two bedroom (four person) houses are designed to incorporate best practice guidelines as per the
Department’s “Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities”. The circulation and ancillary spaces are
placed on the party wall to minimize noise transfer from habitable spaces in the neighbouring unit and
to match a similar layout in adjacent units. The open plan living spaces have a double aspect to
maximise daylight and passive supervision. There is no gable window as the adjoining lands are
reserved for future housing development.
The houses have a shower over the bath on the first floor. The ground floor layout has been configured
to allow space for a future tray/cubicle shower if required for persons with mobility issues. No extra
funding is available to install this or services provision at the time of construction. The ground floor is
level to minimise the risk of falls/water damage. Should a wheelchair user ever become a resident, the
house would need extension for a larger shower area and a ground floor bedroom.

5.4 Material Palette

The architectural language of the proposed structures is very simple in form and the material pallet is
intended to be robust, understated and subtle.
The house walls will be finished with natural coloured render which the tenants may choose to paint all
or part of. The roofing material will be a dark fibre cement slate or concrete tile with profiled rainwater
gutters and downpipes. Individual panes of low level glass have been kept small in size for maintenance
and safety.

The front curtilage of each plot will consist of low level barrier creating on open sense of space, defining
the boundary to give defendable space and privacy in front of the houses. The front curtilage is on the
edge of the Irish Water maintenance wayleave, so a fence is proposed to reduce the restoration impact
should the pipes be dug up. Refuse bins storage will be in the rear gardens, so not detracting from the
front of the property.

6.0 Conclusion
The proposed development, on zoned and serviced lands, is consistent with the policies and objectives
of the Municipal District Local Area Plan and other relevant statutory documents. There is adequate

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service infrastructure in the area to accommodate the development proposal including water drainage
and transport infrastructure. The subject site’s proximity to education and recreational facilities and its
position relative to the village centre offers an appropriate location for social housing. The proposed
development seeks to address and meet some of the critical need for housing in the County Cork area,
providing much needed accommodation for those on the housing waiting list.

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