Pure Cork - An Action Plan For The City
A Profile of the City
and as demand for housing greatly out- strips supply, the problem is likely to worsen. Recognising the need for urgent action, the government has recently launched Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing (2016) , a detailed set of actions designed to reinvigorate the housing market. Construction 2020: A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector , and the Social Housing Strategy 2020: Support, Supply and Reform , are two other government policy responses centred on delivering a more efficient and equitable housing market. The housing market in Cork City mirrors the issues and challenges faced by the state. A recent ESRI Research Note, Projected Population Change and Housing Demand: A County Level Analysis (Edgar Morgenroth, 2014) , projected that Cork City and County areas will have a demand in excess of 22,000 new housing units up to 2021. The challenge of resolving supply shortage issues at local level are complicated by the complexity of how the housing market operates and the number of different stakeholders involved. Nevertheless, it is incumbent on this LECP to clearly recognise the role local agencies can play in delivering focused actions to help address the current housing supply crisis.
Overview
Cork City is unique and distinctive due to a combination of features, places, people and ideals. To help capture this essence, this plan uses a comprehensive socio-economic evidence base to provide a sound footing for decision making, thereby ensuring the approach taken is robust, reliable and justifiable. Two key documents of note have been used: The Cork City Profile (2014) Drawing on the invaluable work of the collaboration between the Social Inclusion Unit and the Cork Healthy Cities Group, The Cork City Profile 2014 provides a robust inter-agency evidence base containing an in-depth analysis of a rich collection of data on Cork City. The report covers ten different themes ranging from demography and economy to housing and deprivation. The report has provided the LECP with a strong socio-economic profile of the city. The Cork City LECP – Baseline Report (2016) Identifying the need for an outward looking evidence base, the Cork City LECP – Baseline Report (2016) was researched and published by Cork City Council and the All Ireland Research Observatory (AIRO). This report has identified and used a number of existing boundary definitions that have a spatial importance for how Cork City operates. These boundaries are used to compare and analyse data at different spatial scales from national to city, to sub city levels. The report illustrates the performance of a wide range of different indicators at city and sub city levels. The grouping of these indicators allows for comparative analysis of both the city and of sub city areas against the State, the region and other cities. A full review of the current international, national and local policy context was also carried out to understand how the city can implement the best actions, most effectively and efficiently, transforming this plan’s vision into reality.
Housing
“Lanes such as Baily’s Lane, Ashgrove Lane, Looney’s Lane, Convent Place, Vincent’s Avenue, St. Ann’s Square, Wolfe Tone Place, part of Wolfe Tone Street, Croft’s Lane, Skeye’s Lane, Donovan’s Lane and Hogan’s Lane were to be demolished and their occupants moved to the new houses. Work on the development commenced before the end of 1932 and by the middle of the following year the sky-line had been transformed…” Colman O’Mahony; In the Shadows: Life in Cork 1750-1930, p302
Housing – Policy
Housing is now a critical issue of national importance. The European Commission’s Country Report Ireland 2015 notes the recent national increases in house prices are largely driven by housing supply shortages, which could ultimately hamper economic competitiveness and lead to affordability issues. A NESC report entitled, Social Housing at the Crossroads: Possibilities for Investment, Provision and Cost Rental (June 2014) , stressed that serious problems were evident in social- housing provision. The Report of the Social Inclusion Forum 2014 , published by the Department of Social Protection, suggests that homelessness in Ireland is at a ‘crisis point’
Analysing the City
Housing – Stats and Facts
Each of the 15 HLGs that inform this action plan are reflective of the challenges faced at local, regional, national and international levels in making Cork City a great place to live, work and enjoy. This section gives an overview of both the policy review and the evidence base used to inform each of the 15 HLGs that drive this plan.
“OVER 65% OF HOUSEHOLDS LIVING IN THE CITY CENTRE ARE IN PRIVATE RENTAL HOMES”
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