Plans for student accommodation facility at site of former Cork convent paused

Irish Examiner

6 days ago

Plans for a new student accommodation facility with 957-bed spaces on the site of a former convent, orphanage and Magdalene laundry in Cork city have been paused following several objections.
An Coimisiún Pleanála has received four separate appeals against the decision of Cork City Council to grant planning permission for 274 student apartments in a large-scale residential development on lands of the former Good Shepherd Convent on Convent Avenue, Sunday's Well in the north-west of the city.
They include objections from the community representative group, Blarney Street & Surrounding Areas Community Association.
The proposed development by Bellmount Good Shepherd Limited — which is owned by developer brothers, Padraig and Seamus Kelleher — on a 3.57-hectare site will consist of eight student accommodation apartment blocks ranging in height from three to five storeys.
A separate three-story mixed-use building is also planned with shops on the ground floor and student accommodation on the upper floors.
The proposed works involve the partial demolition, conservation and redevelopment as well as extension of the former Good Shepherd Convent buildings.
It is planned that the existing Gate Lodge will be converted to operate as a café and provide co-working space.
Most of the buildings on the site are now derelict and have suffered extensive fire damage with all floors, roofs and interior finishes destroyed as a result of a series of fires including one in April 2025.
The convent which opened in 1870, was closed by the Good Shepherd Sisters order in 1977.
University College Cork had planned to use the former convent and its lands for a new campus in the 1990s before abandoning the project.
Figures collated by Justice for Magdalenes Research show the names and of 195 women and girls who died at the Good Shepherd laundry were recorded.
One of the conditions imposed by Cork City Council in its decision to grant planning permission for the student accommodation facility stipulates that all construction work on the site should stop if any human remains are found.
An artist impression of 950-bed student accommodation development at the long-derelict Good Shepherd Convent in Cork City.
In its appeal, the Blarney Street & Surrounding Areas Community Association said it understood the need for student housing but it had serious concerns about the suitability of the specific proposal and location.
The group's chairperson, Tom Coleman, claimed the proposal represents overdevelopment of the site and would be out of character with the surrounding area.
He said locals were concerned that the facility would result in increased noise levels, particularly during evenings and weekends.
'This does nothing to improve social cohesion or foster a sense of long-term community, which is meant to be one of the stated priorities of Cork City Council's development strategy,' said Mr Coleman.
He pointed out the area already suffered from total gridlock, while the assumption that all students would use sustainable forms of transport meant the provision for private car use was 'grossly understated.'
The group claimed the proposed development would result in hundreds of additional car journeys every week in an already congested residential area which could also impede access for emergency services.
Another appellant, Jurek Kirakowski, said it made no sense to create a large student centre on the northside of the Lee when the two main third-level institutions in Cork were mostly located south of the river.
Another objector, Martin Krase, said the fact that none of the previous permissions to develop the site had been acted on showed it was neither suitable nor viable for a large-scale development.
However, Bellmount said the proposed development, which is planned to be constructed over five phases, would deliver much needed new development of purpose-built student accommodation within Cork City.
'The proposed development will see student accommodation provided in a location that is very accessible to high-level education campuses by means of walking, cycling and public transport,' the company stated.
It added: 'The development will contribute to a mixed and inclusive neighbourhood by way of layout and shared amenity uses.'
A ruling on the various appeals is due by early November 2025.