2026-02-04

Regeneration is not just a word. It is a lifeline for communities that have been neglected for years. In Cork, we have the north-west quarter regeneration. I attended the first meeting in September 2000, 26 years ago. Twenty-six years later, only 99 homes have been built and delivered. Less than €100 million has been spent, which is less than €4 million a year. At the same time, regeneration in Limerick got €513 million, and regeneration in Ballymun got almost €1 billion. This shows the neglect that the regeneration of Knocknaheeny and the north-west has experienced. Why is the regeneration of Cork so far behind the other projects? There are people living in Killala Gardens and different parts of Knocknaheeny and the north west who live in homes that are cold, damp and mouldy and, because they are part of the regeneration, they are left like that for years. The council does not want to spend money on them because they know the house is going to be knocked. Should people be left to live in the damp and cold for 26 years? How many more years must they be left in these conditions? They have been waiting a generation for regeneration. Many people cannot put money into their homes. Why would you put in a new kitchen or a new floor or paint the house? People still do it, but why would you invest in a home when you know it is going to be knocked down? The people who do invest in their homes are spending what little savings they have to try to make the best of the situation. It is not good enough. We want a timeline for when the north-west regeneration will be delivered and completed. I will give an example of how slow things are. There are 24 houses on Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny. They have been under construction for six years. They built the Elysian Tower in Cork in two and a half years, but they cannot build 24 houses in six years. It is a scandal. Twelve years ago, the international sensations from Knocknaheeny, Kabin Crew, brought out a song called “Knocka Regeneration - Deal With It.” They said they wanted to be heard. They wanted to be known as the children who made a difference to our home. These children are now in their 20s. Their entire childhood was spent waiting for regeneration. That is still not a quarter way towards where it needs to be. There are other areas like Mayfield. The delay in the north-west is having a negative effect on areas like Mayfield and Blackpool. Mayfield is crying out for regeneration. In February 2023, the Tarry Path regeneration was supposedly at the preliminary stages. Where is it? Where is the regeneration for Mayfield? There are empty homes in every terrace. It is unbelievable that homes are lying rotting. There are cold houses with mould, damp and leaks, with guttering falling down and windows that need replacing. Why have Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael given up on working-class areas? There is an area in Blackpool, the most historic area of Cork city, that is crying out for regeneration. It is one of the most disadvantaged areas in the State. There is a brilliant community there that is doing unbelievable, Trojan work. However, who came in and bought up loads of it? Vulture funds came in and bought it up. They closed down doctors’ surgeries, gyms and hairdressers because they only want to make money.

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this very important matter. I am happy to have the opportunity to discuss the regeneration on the northside of Cork city on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne. The regeneration of social housing is a matter, in the first instance, as the Deputy knows, for local authorities. It is their responsibility to identify an opportunity to advance regeneration programmes in line with the circular N11/2007 policy framework for the regeneration of local authority estates in their respective administrative areas. The Cork north-west quarter regeneration master plan and implementation report was published in 2011. The strategy outlined a departure from previous policy, with a proposal to carry out wholesale demolition of the housing stock in Knocknaheeny that had not been the subject of previous refurbishment works. To date, over €96 million has been allocated to projects that are either completed or on-site under this particular regeneration programme. Up to the end of 2025, 121 social housing units had been completed, and a further 165 units are on-site and progressing, while 127 units are in the pre-construction phase. The current programme runs until 2028, and it is envisaged that projects will be ongoing until this date. The programme is funded project by project as submissions are received and reviewed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Additional funding for Cork city is also being provided to support a social, economic and environmental programme, SEEP, to address the physical regeneration of housing and support wider community infrastructure projects, and the social and economic interventions which seek to address the causes of disadvantage in communities. This is funded on an annual basis, with an overall allocation of €450,000 in 2025. It is a matter for the council to shortlist the most appropriate projects that fit with the objectives of the social housing regeneration project in terms of revitalising the area and the built environment. I must highlight that while the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is supportive of social inclusion initiatives within the overall regeneration programme, in order to ensure that maximum funding for housing regeneration is directed towards improving physical housing infrastructure, these complementary initiatives should be funded from appropriate funding sources. The council was made aware in 2024 that funding under the SEEP would be reducing in 2025, and that arrangements should be made for alternative funding should it wish to maintain such social inclusion initiatives into the future. The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport has significant sports capital grant programmes to assist in the development or refurbishment of sporting facilities and the provision of sports facilities, while requests related to youth services funding should be directed towards the Department of children and the Department of justice for youth diversion projects. As the Deputy knows, Cork has received substantial funding under the urban regeneration and development fund, which comes under the Department. In total, it has received €407 million under that programme for the Cork city docklands, Grand Parade quarter, Tivoli docks and Kent Station yard, which is funded 75% by the Department. It is absolutely the case that we want to continue to regenerate areas like Knocknaheeny. It is a priority for the Government, as outlined in my response. A number of housing units have been completed, and the remaining units will be completed. We continue to work with Cork City Council, but the onus is on Cork City Council to bring forward those projects. In relation to taking six years to complete a housing scheme, perhaps Deputy Gould can talk to me offline in relation to that. Who is responsible for that? Is it the council? I do not know. Perhaps the Deputy will elaborate in his follow-up.

The Minister of State mentioned the seed funding. The seed funding was actually a very good idea, although I will come in here and criticise, argue and disagree with the Government. However, there was a decision to cut it back last year. While €1 million was needed for community projects, only €450,000 was allocated, which was less than half. I think it was actually €1.2 million that was needed but let us just call it €1 million. This was an initiative that was good, with money that was to be spent on social initiatives in the community, and that could have made a difference. To me, this seed funding should have been expanded to other areas because it helped put money for sporting organisations and community organisations where it needed to be spent in the areas that required regeneration. The Minister of State mentioned 2011 when the original plan was changed. That was 15 years ago. Why has it taken 15 years to build 620 houses? That is what they are talking about in the plan - 620 houses. The Minister of State gave a date for it being completed - and I stand to be corrected - of 2028. That Knocknaheeny regeneration will not be complete for at least eight more years. They have not got to the Kilmore Road Lower houses. They have not got to the Dunmore Gardens site or Killala Gardens. This goes back to Hollyhill, Ardcullen, Ardmore Avenue and Courtown Drive, which were the initial part of the regeneration but where the works were substandard. I am from Knocknaheeny. My dad lives there. My mother-in-law lives there. I am proud. It is a brilliant community. Why is Limerick getting €500 million, Ballymun getting €1 billion, and Knocknaheeny getting less than €100 million? Is that fair? We need this to work. We need places like Mayfield and Blackpool to be supported also.

What I said in my response was that the current programme runs until 2028 and they are the projects that the council have put forward for the regeneration, which encompasses 121 units that have been completed, 165 units that are on site, and 127 units that are in pre-construction phase. We in the Department will always assess any application that comes in from local authorities, be they turnkey housing units, regeneration projects like this or Part 8 plans that the councils put forward. We are open to applications from every local authority in this State to come forward with social and affordable schemes, but it is the local authorities' responsibility to bringing forward those schemes. We now have a single-stage approval process in place with standardised designs where local authorities will have responsibility for putting forward the projects to the Department. This is for any project that is under €200 million. These will go through a single-stage approval process within the Department. This is to try to avoid the situation that has happened heretofore where councils blamed the Department and the Department blamed the councils. Under these new rules, there will be no hiding for councils that are not putting forward projects. They will not be able to say a project is at stage 2 or 3 within the Department. There will be none of that. We want the local authorities, Cork City Council and Cork County Council included, to bring forward schemes to us. The Deputy is right. He represents that area in the same way I represent working class areas in Waterford that have gone through regeneration and still have to go through regeneration. We are both passionate about regeneration programmes but I also acknowledge that it is the responsibility in my area for Waterford City and County Council to bring forward those schemes that we, as a Department, can fund from Dublin.