Planning Authority Upholds Apartment Project at Bessborough Site

An Coimisiún Pleanála upheld planning permission for the construction of 106 apartments at the site of the former Bessborough mother and baby institution in Cork. The decision follows an appeal by the Bessborough Mother and Baby Home Support Group and Labour Party Councillor Peter Horgan, who argued the development should be blocked because the land may contain undocumented burials.

An Coimisiún Pleanála's ruling allows Estuary View Enterprises to proceed with the project, which had been initially granted permission by Cork City Council. The Bessborough facility, operated by the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary from 1922 until the late 1990s, is a site of significant historical trauma. A Commission of Investigation previously estimated that between 900 and 923 children died at the home, but burial records exist for only 64 of them.

Patricia Carey, the Special Advocate for Survivors, condemned the decision as abhorrent and shameful. She urged the Irish government to intervene through a Compulsory Purchase Order to prevent construction, preserve the location as a site of conscience, and locate the missing remains of the children.