Whitechurch, Co. Cork
The site is located to the immediate west of the village settlement of Whitechurch, Co. Cork and slopes upwards from the roadway to the north/western boundary. The site is accessed off the School Road by two separate entrances, one of which was completed as part of the Phase 1 development. Both have very good public access and visibility.
Phase 1 of the Planning Permission, as granted by Cork Co. Council in 2005, was completed in 2008 and comprises six detached houses. All six dwellings have been occupied since completion. The new planning application for the completion of the site was required to have regard to new planning guidelines re density etc. and greater mix of house types than proposed in the 2005 scheme. The materials and architectural features of the completed Phase 1 units have been reflected in the design, materiality and aesthetic quality of the proposed new House Types intended for the completion of the remainder of the scheme.
The new layout has a total of 44 units, with 14 no. detached units; 24 no. semi-detached units and 6 no. townhouses. The revised layout has a site density of 19 houses/hectare, which is at the lower end of the scale recommended by planning guidelines.
The two access roads in the scheme have been linked up within the development, by an east to west internal cross connecting road fronting onto the northern boundary units. In addition, a number of shared access ‘Home Areas’ have been designed to minimise the effect of traffic on the residents.
The proposed Open Space serving the whole site – Phase1 and Phase 2 – is distributed evenly across the site, with a central dedicated play area proposed. The aim is to have as many houses as possible enjoying a view of the Open Space. Several of the proposed houses have been orientated to face directly onto the open areas, providing passive surveillance.
Michael Regan of EPCA was Director in Charge / Architect for this project whilst Managing Director of Reddy O’Riordan Staehli Architects from 2004 – 2011 and subsequently Project Architect for the later phased developments from 2018.
