statement on housing mix shd cluain ard, cobh, co. cork · shd cluain ard, cobh, co. cork prepared...

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1 Ashgrove Land Limited Cluain Ard SHD December 2019

Statement on Housing Mix

SHD Cluain Ard, Cobh, Co. Cork

Prepared in December 2019 on behalf of

1 ASH GROVE LAND Limited

Coakley O’Neill Town Planning Ltd.

NSC Campus, Mahon, Cork 021 2307000 [email protected] www.coakleyoneill.ie

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.coakleyoneill.ie/

http://www.coakleyoneill.ie/

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Document Control Sheet

Client 1 Ash Grove Land Limited

Project Title SHD Development, Cluain Ard, Cobh, Co. Cork

Job No. CON18124

Document Title Statement on Housing Mix

Number of Pages 13

Revision

Status

Date of Issue

Authored

Checked

Signed

1

Draft

20th September 2019

SK

AON

2

Final

10th December 2019

SK

AON

Confidentiality Statement

This report has been produced for the exclusive use of the commissioning party and unless otherwise agreed in writing by Coakley

O’Neill Town Planning Ltd., no other party may copy, reproduce, distribute, make use of, or rely on the contents of the report. No

liability is accepted by Coakley O’Neill Town Planning Ltd. for any use of this report, other than for the purposes for which it was

originally prepared and provided. Opinions and information provided in this report are on the basis of Coakley O’Neill using due

skill, care and diligence in the preparation of same and no explicit warranty is provided as to their accuracy. It should be noted

and is expressly stated that no independent verification of any of the documents or information supplied to Coakley O’Neill Town

Planning Ltd. has been made.

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 This Statement on Housing Mix Report has been prepared by Coakley O’Neill Town Planning on behalf of

the applicant, in accordance with the requirements of Cork County Development Plan 2014 as well as the

Joint Housing Strategy for Cork City and County.

1.2 This report accompanies a planning application by 1 Ashgrove Land Limited under Section 4 of the

Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (2016 Act) for a residential

development of 237no. units at a site at Cluain Ard, Ringmeen, Cobh, Co. Cork

1.3 Objective HOU 3-3(b) of the Cork County Development Plan, 2014, requires that a statement of Housing

Mix is submitted with all applications for multiunit developments in order to facilitate the proper

evaluation of the proposal relative to Objective HOU 3-3(a). This objective aims to secure the development

of a mix of house types and sizes throughout the County as a whole, to meet the needs of the future

population in accordance with the guidance as set out in the Joint Housing Strategy and the Guidelines

on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas.

1.4 A range of housing types have been provided as part of the proposed development, including a range of

one, two, three and four bed housing units, several of which have space to convert the attic space into a

fourth bedroom, in terraced, semi-detached and detached typologies; as well as one and two bed

apartment and duplex units. This is considered to cater for a wide range of household types.

1.5 As outlined in this report, the range of housing types have been proposed, having regard to the current

market demands and the emerging demographic profile of the Cobh Area. The proposed unit mix

complies with the Development Plan requirement to provide a wide choice of dwelling types.

1.6 The location of the proposed development is within the Metropolitan town of Cobh and is therefore in

keeping with Local, regional and national policy in terms of facilitating population growth and

strengthening the metropolitan areas of the County. Significantly, the proposed development in this

instance seeks to complete a housing estate that was partially developed before the last economic crisis.

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2.0 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING MIX

2.1 The proposed development provides for a total of 237 no. units, comprising of 1 no. 4 bed unit, 133 no. 3

bed units, 91 no. 2 bed units and 12 no. 1 bed units.

2.2 In addition to a mix of bedroom numbers, the proposed development also provides for a varied mix of

dwelling types, including detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, as well as apartments and

duplexes. The apartment and duplex units ae concentrated towards the southern boundary, having regard

to the local context of the site.

2.3 A breakdown of the residential unit types is provided in Table 2.1 below, and the percentage mix in terms

of bedrooms in outlined in Table 2.2

House Type Number of units

4-bed detached 1

3-bed semi-detached 48

3 bed townhouses

3-bed semi/townhouses

60

25

2 bed townhouses 49

2 bed duplexes 27

2 bed apartments 15

1 bed apartment 12

Total 237

Table 1 Proposed Housing Types

House Type Number of

units

%

4 bed 1 0.4%

3 bed 133 56%

2 bed 91 38%

1 bed 12 5%

Table 2 Breakdown of bedrooms by percentage

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3.0 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

3.1 This section of the report outlines the general demographic profile in terms of population growth, housing

stock, age profiles, household composition and vacant dwellings, for Cobh in comparison to County Cork

and the State, based on Census data.

POPULATION CHANGE 1996-2016

3.2 Table 3.1 below provides the population change of the State, Cork County and Cobh from 1996 to 2016,

as derived from CSO statistics.

Census Year State County Cork Cobh

1996 3,626,087 420,510 8,459

2002 3,917,203 447,829 9,811

% Change (1996-2002) 8% 6.5% 16%

2006 4,239,848 481,295 11,303

% Change (2002-2006) 8% 7.5% 15%

2011 4,588,252 519,032 12,021

% Change (2006 – 2011) 8% 8% 6.4%

2016 4,761,865 542,868 12,800

% Change (2011-2016) 4% 5% 6.5%

Total population change (1996-2016) +1,135,778 +122,358 +4,341

% change (1996-2016) 31% 29% 51%

Table 3 Population in State, County Cork and Cobh from 1996 to 2016

3.3 As outlined in Table 3 above, the settlement of Cobh has experienced significant population growth over

the last 20 years, with the population growing from 8,459 people in 1996 to 12,800 people in 2016. This

represents a growth of c. 51%.

3.4 From 1996 to 2016, the rate of population growth in Cobh exceeded the rate of population growth in

County Cork and the State. The growth rate of population growth in County Cork between 1996 and 2016

was 29%, while the rate of population growth in the state over the same period was 31%.

3.5 Having regard to Table 3, it is clear that the rate of population growth in Cobh through every census since

1996, has exceeded both that of the County and State as a whole, exclusive of the period form 2006-2011.

This indicates that Cobh has experiencing significant population growth over an extended period of time

AGE PROFILE

3.6 The age profile for Cobh, as well as Cork County and the State, are outlined in Table 4 below, as per the

2016 Census results. Table 5 below outlines the percentage change between 2011 and 2016 for the 0-19

age range.

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Age Group State County Cork Cobh

0-18 1,251,796 (26.3%) 148,377 (27.3) 3,771 (29.5%)

19-34 990,618 (20.8%) 105,344 (19.4%) 2,410 (18.8%)

35-64 1,881,884 (39.5%) 215,304 (39.7%) 5,149 (40.2%)

65+ 637,567 (13.4%) 73,843 (13.6%) 1,470 (11.5%)

Total 4,761,865 542,868 12,800

Table 4 Age profile of the State, County and Cobh (Census 2016)

Age Group State County Cork Cobh

0-4 -7% -6.3% -15%

5-9 +10.8% +13.8% +11.5%

10-14 +5.6% +4.9% +16.5%

15-19 +7% +9% +9.6%

Table 5 Age Group population change 2011-2016

3.7 As per Table 4 above, the age profile for Cobh is roughly consistent with that of the age profile of the

County and State, however it is noted that a higher percentage of the population in Cobh are in the 0-14

age bracket, and that a lower percentage are in the 65+ age bracket, in comparison to the County and

State.

3.8 The population in the 0-4 age bracket decreased across the State, County and Cobh, however it is noted

that Cobh had the largest decrease with more than double that of the State and County.

HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION

3.9 Figure 6 below indicates the household composition of the State, County and Cobh according to the 2016

census.

Composition (% of total

households)

State County Cork Cobh

One person 399,815 (23.5%) 46,818 (23.9%) 1168 (24.8%)

Couples without Children 323,140 (19%) 37,328 (19.1%) 814 (17.3%)

Couples with Children 598,666 (35.2%) 70,602 (36%) 1,707 (36.2%)

Lone parent families 177,920 (10.5%) 19,518 (10%) 574 (12.2%)

Other 202,748 (11.9%) 21,587 (11%) 446 (9.5%)

total 1,702,289 195,853 4,709

Table 6 Outline of Composition of Households

3.10 In 2016, the household composition of Cobh was made up of 48.4% of households with children (couples

and lone parents). This is above both County Cork, where 46% of household included children, and the

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State, where 45.7% of households included those with children. However, the proportion of one-person

households in Cobh is also slightly higher than the County and State.

3.11 As per the 2016 census, the average family size in Cobh is 2.72. This is slightly lower than the average

family size in Cork County which is stated to be 2.77, while the average household size in the state was

2.75. This indicates that household sizes in Cobh are slightly lower than both the County and State.

HOUSING STOCK AND VACANCY RATE 2002-2016

3.12 In line with the population growth of the State, Cork and Cobh between 2002 and 2016 as outlined in

Table 3, the growth in housing stock over the same period is outlined in Table 7 below. The vacancy rates

in the State, County Cork and Cobh are also outlined in Table 8 below. It is noted that vacancy rates were

unavailable for Cobh in the census years 2002 and 2006.


2002 1,460,053 168,784 3408

2006 1,769,613 202,100 4,142

% Change 21.2% 19.7% 29.5%

2011 1,994,845 227,675 4618

% Change 12.7% 12.7% 11.5%

2016 2,003,645 229,495 4,709

% Change 0.44% 0.8% 2%

Table 7 Housing stock 2002 to 2016


2002 143,418 (9.8%) 17,508 (10.4%) -

2006 266,322 (15%) 30,989 (15.3%) -

2011 289,451 (14.5%) 33,329 (14.6%) 774 (16.8%)

2016 245,460 (12.3%) 27,209 (11.9%) 626 (13.2%

Table 8 Vacancy Rates 2002 to 2016

3.13 Between 2002 and 2016, the housing stock of Cobh increased by over 38%. This is a higher rate of increase

than the State (37%) and the County (36%). In addition, and more significantly, the housing stock in Cobh

increased by 2% during the period of 2011 to 2016. This is in stark contrast to the rate of housing stock

increase in the State (0.44%) and the County (0.8%) over the same time period.

3.14 The vacancy rates across the State, County Cork and Cobh have all dropped in the period from 2011 to

2016. It is noted that Cobh had the highest rate of vacancy in 2011. However statistical information in

relation to vacancy levels in Cobh from 2002-2011 are unavailable and therefore an analysis of the vacancy

trend cannot be carried out.

3.15 Notwithstanding that Cobh had the highest rate of vacancy in 2016, it is noted that Cobh has also had the

greatest decrease in vacancy over the period 2011-2016. The rate of vacancy decreased by 3.6 % in Cobh

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between 2011 and 2016, in comparison to a decrease of 2.2% in the State and 2.7% in the County across

the same time period, indicating an increase in housing demand in Cobh.

4.0 EXISTING HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY

4.1 It is noted that there are several established housing developments as well as one-off houses within the

immediate vicinity of the proposed development site. Firstly, the existing Cluain Ard Development, which

the subject site was originally part of, consists of a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom dwellings with a mix of

housing typologies including detached, semi-detached, terraced, duplex and apartment units spread

throughout the development.

4.2 Furthermore, several serviced sites were permitted as part of the original Cluain Ard development and

front onto the Ashgrove Road to the south east of the subject site. It is noted that five no. large detached

dwellings have been built on five of the nine serviced sites developed at this location. There is a recent

permission for a further 4 bed detached dwelling on one of the nine serviced sites, which was permitted

under 19/6196. There is potential for an additional 3no. 4/5 bed units to be located on these sites, to cater

for the demand for 4+ bedroom houses in the immediate vicinity.

4.2 Secondly, there is a housing development located to the east of the subject site which consists of primarily

three and four bed semi-detached and terraced houses. This site has recently been subject to an extension

of duration application which extends the life of the permission to 31st December 2021. Phase 2 of this

development is set to launch imminently and consists of 4 bedroom semi-detached units, and 3 bedroom

terraced units exclusively.

4.3 Notwithstanding these two large developments, it is further noted that there are a significant number of

one-off dwellings, which typically consist of 4 or more bedrooms, located along the Ashgrove Road, as

well as to the north of the subject site.

4.4 It is therefore considered that there are a significant number of existing and permitted 4 bedroom units

in the immediate vicinity of the subject site, which can adequately cater for the demand for such units.

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5.0 HOUSING MARKET IN COUNTY CORK

5.1 The housing market in County Cork has shown significant growth in recent years, influenced by its own

population and economic growth, as well as its location within the metropolitan area of Cork, and its

proximity to Cork City.

5.2 The median price of all homes sold in Cork city and county increased by 12.2%, from €205,000 in 2017 to

€230,000 last year.1 There was a significant difference between average house prices in Cork City and

County, as outlined in The Daft.ie House Price Report – 2018 Q4 - Year in Review2.

5.3 The House Price Report produced by Daft.ie states that the average house in Cork City in 2018 was

€275,703, an increase of 5.8% from 2017, and an increase of 67.9% from the ‘trough’ in 2013. In

comparison, the average house price in Cork County was €220,173 in 2018, an increase of 6.3% on 2017,

and an increase of 53.7% on the ‘trough’ in 2013

5.4 These increases in prices are reflective of the existing demand to live in Cork, and indicate that there is

greater demand to live in the City. Indeed, the rate of housing price increase in the towns of east Cork,

including Cobh, has been linked to the influx of buyers who have been priced out of Cork City3.

5.5 According to data from the Central Statistics Office data on completion of new dwellings. It is noted that

the level of new dwelling completions has increased in order to meet demand. In 2018 a total no. of 1,508

dwellings were constructed in the County, representing an increase of 72% on the 2016 total. While this

increase can be considered quite large, it is noted that it comes from a very low base with only 878 no.

dwellings completed in County Cork in 2018.

5.6 In addition, it is noted that in 2018, CSO Transaction data shows that 6,088 market transactions took place

(all buyer types) based on Stamp Duty Executions, with an average per transaction of €226,497 in County

Cork. In comparison, there were 6,689 market transactions that took place in 2017 (all buyer types) based

on Stamp Duty Executions, with an average per transaction of € 199,591. The reduction in number of

transactions, coupled with the increase in average transaction from 2017 to 2018, indicates that there is

an increased demand in County Cork that Is not being met by a corresponding supply.

5.7 Furthermore, additional evidence of demand for housing in County Cork, as well as the town of Cobh can

be drawn from the residential vacancies in 2011 and 2016. County Cork had a lower rate of vacancy in the

2016 than the State on average. While vacancy in Cobh is relatively higher than both County Cork and the

state, it is noted that Cobh experienced a higher decrease in vacancy than both the County and the State

in the period 2011 to 2016.

5.8 It is further noted that Cobh has been designated as one of 21 Rent Pressure Zones in the Country. Rent

Pressure Zones are designated Local Electoral Areas where rents can only rise by up to 4% per annum, and

1 (McCárthaigh, 2019) 2 (Daft.ie, 2019) 3 (Independent.ie, 2018)

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can be no more than market rent. This designation is in place for a maximum of three years and applies

when rents are set at the start of a tenancy and when rents are reviewed during an ongoing tenancy.

5.8 For a town or area to be included in a rent pressure zone, two criteria must be met; (1) Rents must have

increased by more than 7% in four of the last six quarters; (2) Average rents in the last quarter must be

above the national average as measured by the National Indicative Rent in the RTB’s Rent Index Report.

Cobh met both of these criteria which indicates that there is high demand for housing in the Cobh area.

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6.0 CORK PLANNING AUTHORITIES JOINT HOUSING STRATEGY, 2009

6.1 The purpose of the Cork Planning Authorities Joint Housing Strategy is to ensure that the overall supply

of housing is sufficient to meet the planned population of Cork.

6.2 To meet the changing needs and sizes of households, it is a policy of the Housing Strategy to ensure the

development of a greater mix of house type and sizes reflecting local circumstances. On this basis, Table

5 of the Strategy sets out a target housing programme to 2020, where indicative targets for house types

are set. These targets as they relate to suburban areas such as Cobh, as outlined in Table 9 below;

Suburban Housing Size Distribution

1 bed 5%

2 bed 20%

3 bed 40%

4 bed 25%

5+ bed 10%

Table 9 Extract from Table 5 of Cork Joint Housing Strategy

6.3 Noting that the information set out in Table 9 is a target, the proposed development generally correlates

to this distribution, with a good range of house types mainly focused on the 2 and 3 bed units, which is

aligned with the average family size in Cobh (CSO 2016).

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7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 Cobh is identified as a Metropolitan Town in the Cork County Development Plan 2014. Metropolitan Towns

form the third tier of the settlement hierarchy of the County. Cobh has also been prioritised as an area for

the development of homes in the County Development Plan.

7.2 National Planning Policy prioritises the development of increased population within the built-up footprints

of existing settlements. It is further noted the development site in this instance is within the development

boundary of Cobh, and is essentially completing an existing residential development.

7.3 As outlined in this report, Cobh has experienced rapid population growth over the last 20 years, with the

population increasing by 51% between 1996 and 2016. The population has continued to grow, with a 6.5%

increase in population between 2011 and 2016.

7.4 The demographic makeup of Cobh is such that there is a lower than average percentage of the population

in the 65+ age bracket, while almost 50% of the population are aged 35 years or younger. This is also

reflective of the household types in Cobh, where families, including, couples with children and lone parents

with children make up over 48% of the overall households, which is a higher percentage than both the

State and the County.

7.5 In terms of the housing mix proposed as part of this development, 237no. units total are proposed

consisting of 27no. apartments, 27 no. duplex units, 109 no. townhouses, 48 no. semi-detached units,

25no. semi-detached/townhouse units, and 1 no. detached unit, providing a large mix of unit types.

7.6 In terms of the mix of bedroom numbers, the proposed breakdown is as follows;

House Type Number of

units

%

4 bed 1 0.4%

3 bed 133 56.1%

2 bed 91 38.4%

1 bed 12 5.1%

Table 10 Proposed mix of bedrooms

7.7 The housing mix of the subject development has been proposed in light of the demographic profile of the

area, inclusive of the age profile and household composition data from the last census. Having reviewed

the census data, it is noted that the age profile of Cobh is relatively young, while the majority of households

include children (either couples with children of lone parents with children).

7.8 On this basis, the proposed development largely comprises two- and three-bedroom homes. 38% of the

proposed units are 2 bed units. This is to cater for the demand for starter homes, specifically in relation to

young families. In addition, and reflective of the fact that 48% of people in Cobh are under 35, these units

could also provide an opportunity for young couples without children to get a foot on the property ladder.

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7.9 Having regard to the large number of households containing children, 56% of the proposed units are 3-

bedroom family homes.

It is noted that only 1 no. 4 bedroom unit is proposed as part of the subject development. However, almost

7% of the of the 3-bedroom units are can be easily converted to 4-bedroom units by changing the attic

into a 4th bedroom. There is a supply of existing and proposed 4 bed units in the immediate vicinity of the

subject site.

7.10 The proposed development also includes the provision of 1 bed room units, totalling approximately 5%

of the overall units. This is in response to a smaller market demand for one-bedroom units in general,

while also providing an opportunity for older people to downsize.

7.11 It is considered that the proposed housing mix reflects the need to provide units to cater to families at

various stages and different demands. Given the relatively young age profile of the town, in comparison

to County Cork and the state, it is considered that the demand for 2- and 3-bedroom homes is likely to

continue over the medium terms.

7.12 In consideration of the above, the proposed development will ensure the delivery of a large proportion of

family type housing, reflective of the current household composition as well as responding to current local

market demands.

8.0 REFERENCES

Independent.ie. (2018). Cork County East: Undersupply driving rises in east Co Cork. [online] Available at:

https://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/property-mortgages/how-much-is-your-house-

worth/cork-county-east-undersupply-driving-rises-in-east-co-cork-36497907.html [Accessed 12 Mar.

2019].

Daft.ie (2019). The Daft.ie House Price Report. An analysis of recent trends in the Irish residential sales

market for 2018 Q4 - Year in Review. [online] Daft.ie. Available at: https://www.daft.ie/report/2018-Q4-

houseprice-daft-report.pdf [Accessed 12 Mar. 2019].

McCárthaigh, S. (2019). 20% rise in value of properties sold in Co Cork in 2018. [online] Irishexaminer.com.

Available at: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/20-rise-in-value-of-properties-sold-

in-co-cork-in-2018-902232.html [Accessed 12 Mar. 2019].

statement on housing mix shd cluain ard, cobh, co. cork · shd cluain ard, cobh, co. cork prepared...

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