Work to begin on 124 new homes on last Douglas greenfield site after completion of €5m deal
Construction of 124 homes on the last remaining greenfield site in Douglas village is set to begin in June following completion of a land deal worth approximately €5m.The scheme at Barry’s Field, between the Old Carrigaline Road and Churchyard Lane, is being developed by Tom Murray/Barry’s Field Ltd, after An Coimisiún Pleanálagave the go-ahead last September.The apartment scheme — with a height range of two to five storeys — will be known as Cluain Barra (Irish for Barry’s Meadow), as a tribute to the Barry family in whose ownership it was for more than 150 years. The scheme will include 64 x 2-bed units, 50 x 1-bed units and 10 three-beds. Three of the three-bed units are townhouses. There are also options for a street-level cafe and two office units. Size range for the residential units will be 51 sq m-105 sq m. The apartment blocks will have various ecclesiastical names (The Spires, The Priory, The Abbey) to reflect the site’s ecclesiastical surroundings.Computer-generated view of the planned apartment development at Barry’s Field, Douglas.Mr Murray said his goal was to deliver a “quality development” which he hoped to have completed “in 20 months to two years”.“You couldn’t get a better location,” the developer said, adding that he’d been “looking at the site for a while”.Discount food retailer Lidl had also previously looked at the 1.04ha (2.57a) site behind Barry’s pub, but its application to build a store there was shot down in 2018 by the planning board. Mr Murray’s proposal was also appealed to the planning board who ruled in his favour.He believes the O’Mahony Pike-designed scheme will be particularly attractive to downsizers/rightsizers, given its proximity to Douglas village. He also expects interest from first-time buyers. The scheme will include a number of penthouses, and all except ground-floor apartments will have balconies. There will be pedestrian connections with the Old Carrigaline Road and Churchyard Lane, to include a public walk-through and open space and also private residential open space and walk-through.Mr Murray was previously involved in the delivery of upmarket schemes such as Botanika on Blackrock Road’s Cleve Hill with developers Citidwell Homes, who were also behind the niche Bull’s Lane four home development called Citadella, near Ashton Secondary School. He is also involved in Authentic Homes.News of the pending development of Barry’s Field — described in the current Cork City Development Plan as “an underutilitsed infill site” — follows hot on the heels of revelations that O’Callaghan Properties (OCP) are about to start enabling works on a 119-unit scheme on one of the last greenfield development sites of scale in the city, on the nearby South Douglas Road.The development is a joint venture with the Whitaker family-owned motor dealership Johnson & Perrott, under the banner of Ballincurrig Developments. The first 39 homes in what will be known as Bridlewood will be launched in Q3 this year, with the first residents moving in, in about two years. Homes will be mainly for private sale, with some social and affordable housing. The 1.98ha (5a) land had been used to grow crops until relatively recentlyBarry’s Field, close to Douglas graveyard, was earmarked in the Cork City Development Plan as a neighbourhood development site that could have the potential to act as a catalyst for further development.
