PLANNING PERMISSION HAS been granted for a 266 house development on the former site of St. Kevin’s hospital in Cork city.

The plans, which have been drawn up by the Land Development Agency (LDA), will see 266 homes as well as an enterprise centre and a creche built in Shanakiel.

The news comes four years after the iconic Cork building was gutted by a fire.

The development itself will overlook the River Lee, and will consist of a mixture of townhouses and apartments, with one, two, three and four-bedroom units.

The LDA has estimated that the first homes will be available on the site by 2023.

The mix of tenants is yet to be decided by the government, the LDA says that the primary focus is on creating social and affordable housing, with a majority of the development set to fit those criteria.

“Our primary focus will be social and affordable housing and I expect this to be reflected in the ultimate make-up of the St. Kevin’s development,” said John Coleman, CEO of the LDA.

Ann Doherty, CEO of Cork City council welcomed the news of the development, saying that it would be good news “for all citizens”.

“In addition to supplying housing, the project will bring back to life one of the most beautiful buildings in Cork,” said Doherty, adding that she is looking forward to further collaboration with the LDA.

“While this is just the first site which the LDA will develop in Cork City, we expect it to be the first of many and I am particularly optimistic about the partnership the City Council is creating with the LDA to establish the Docklands Deliver Office to unleash the community potential of the Cork Docklands area.”

According to the LDA, due to the close proximity of the site to the city centre, there will be a focus on sustainability and the use of public transport.

Due to this, the site will have twice as many spaces for bikes compared to cars.

The LDA was originally set up in 2018 to use state-owned land for development, and is currently involved on 11 sites around the country.