Dawn Meats has applied to Cork County Council for permission to build in excess of 400 houses, a nursing home, a childcare facility, a research and development centre and a neighbourhood centre on a site near Midleton, Co Cork.

Established in Waterford in 1980, Dawn Meats is the largest processor of lamb in Europe and the leading processor of beef in the UK and Ireland.

The residential element of the planning submitted by the meat processing company includes a total of 434 residential units.

These include 281 apartments/duplex units and 153 dwelling houses, ranging in size from one bedroom to five bedroom.

The total gross floor area of the overall development is 54,428m sq, which is the equivalent to just over 13ac.

Proposed development

The development is described as a block by block basis, with some units being seven storeys high.

The other proposed developments are a 90-bed nursing home, a three-storey research and development office and a five-storey neighbourhood centre building with retail units at ground floor level.

The nursing home will include communal facilities, including a reception, day rooms, laundry rooms, treatment rooms, linen stores, a hair salon, an overnight family room, a café, an oratory, an activity room and a work room, as well as other staff facilities.

The company has also asked for permission for a greenway which will run along the south eastern boundary

of the site.

Road network

Planning is also sought for an internal road network to connect the developments.

The above planning application was received by the county council on 3 December 2021, with a decision due to be made on 7 February.

Its status currently says that its progress is currently at 54%, according to Cork County Council’s website.

If approved, the existing derelict buildings, structures, outbuildings and hard standing on the site will be demolished or removed.

The Water Rock site near Midleton was the old Irish Meat Packers (IMP) plant and is bounded by fields which are in agricultural use, the Nordic Enterprise Park and the Cork to Midleton railway line.

The proposed development also includes the provision of public open space, with associated children’s play areas including seven pocket parks located throughout the scheme.