THE 52-acre site being sold in Douglas for new housing has focused attention on the need for better infrastructure for traffic in the area, according to Fine Gael councillor Deirdre Forde.
Douglas lands 52 acres at Castletreasure for sale for 450 homes, guiding €25 million
Savills is currently selling off a greenfield site in Castletreasure, located next to Douglas Golf Course, guided at €25m, as the “best Cork residential site to come on the market in the past 10 to 15 year,” according to Peter O’Meara, the company’s commercial director.
“It will be a great boost to the Cork market as it offers a significant development opportunity and could potentially deliver a high-end scheme in excess of 450 units. We anticipate that there will be strong interest both locally and nationally,” he added.
However, Douglas was one of the worst affected areas by the boom as thousands of houses were built with little regard to the supporting infrastructure.
The area is widely regarded as the worst place in Cork for traffic, with Bus Éireann forced to run peak hour services that avoid the town to accommodate people travelling to and from the city.
Ms Forde said that while more housing would be welcome, the council will need to examine where it fits into the overall plan for the area.
During the summer, the council will update its local area plan for Douglas, which could impact on potential developments on the site.
“We must take a balanced approach. Traffic is a huge problem, and there are a lot of amenities missing,” said Ms Forde.
“We have to look at how it would fit in before we sign off on anything,” she said.
She said that there was a huge demand for houses in the area, and that a residential development would be necessary, but that people should consider what else could be built in Douglas.
“I’d be looking to see more office space built, so that people who live in the area could work in the area, without having to hop into a car and go into the city,” she said.
Long-term road projects are being carried out in the area, including the upgrade of the N28 and the Douglas LUTS plan, but it will be a number of years before these are completed.
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