Taoiseach Officially Opens New Homes in Native County

86 New Homes for the people of Cork

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Colm Kelleher welcomed An Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the City who officially opened new homes at Bishop’s Avenue in Farranferris, delivered by Tuath Housing, in partnership with Cork City Council

Bishop’s Avenue is a standalone development of 86 homes in total, comprising of 10no x three bed bungalows, 8no x two bed houses and 68no x three bed houses built by developers Citidwell. The homes have been funded via a combination of private finance from the Housing Finance Agency and a loan from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. To date, 80 homes have been allocated to families from the Cork City Council housing list and with a cost per home of €294,000, the new homes represent excellent value for money. The 10 bungalows have been specifically built to meet the requirements of those on the housing waiting list with certain disabilities and for older persons.

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 approved housing body has continued working with the local authority to deliver over 539 homes throughout the City with a further 244 homes now on site. The delivery of the new homes at Bishop’s Avenue coincided with a milestone for Tuath Housing who surpassed the 1,000 homes in management mark in the County. The Association have now over 8,300 homes nationwide in every local authority area, housing over 22,000 people. With a strong pipeline in place, Tuath are on course to deliver over 1,400 homes in 2022.

 An Taoiseach Micheál Martin commented “I am delighted to be here today to officially open these 86 safe and secure homes which are much needed for those on the Cork City Council housing waiting list. Housing is without doubt one of the biggest challenges facing this country, so 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 AHB’s, local authorities and our financial institutions can all work together with government for our collective goal of increasing social housing stock and providing homes to those who need them.”

Lord Mayor of Cork of Cork City, Cllr. Colm Kelleher said “I am absolutely delighted and welcome the launch of these 86 new homes by Tuath Housing here in the legendary Farrenferris grounds in the Northside of our City. 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. Special mention must be made to the builders Citi Dwell, 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 have 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. Congratulations to everybody again.”

Tuath Vice Chairman Prof. Paddy Gray noted that “Tuath is proud of the strong working relationship it has with Cork City Council that has resulted in the delivery of over 530 homes since 2011. The 86 homes here at Bishop’s Avenue are another fine example of what can be achieved through this relationship, backed by the financial support of government and the Housing Finance Agency.”

 Barry O’Leary, CEO of the Housing Finance Agency said “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.”