Planning Permission Granted for Ballinspittle Townhouse

We are delighted to announce that Cork County Council has granted planning permission for the Ballinspittle Townhouse project, a comprehensive refurbishment, extension and energy upgrade of a traditional village-centre property in Ballinspittle, West Cork.

The project involves the transformation of an ageing townhouse into a bright, contemporary home while retaining the scale and character that contribute to the streetscape of the village. The design carefully reimagines the existing building, creating a series of interconnected living spaces that open onto a new private courtyard and garden area, bringing natural light deep into the heart of the home.

A key challenge was balancing the constraints of a compact town-centre site with the aspirations of modern family living. The approved design introduces a contemporary rear extension that contrasts respectfully with the original building fabric, creating generous living accommodation while maintaining the established character of the streetscape.

Sustainability has been central to the project from the outset. The existing building will undergo a deep energy retrofit, dramatically improving thermal performance, comfort and energy efficiency through upgraded insulation, high-performance windows and doors, airtightness improvements and modern heating systems. By retaining and adapting the existing structure, the project significantly reduces embodied carbon compared to demolition and new construction.

Projects such as Ballinspittle Townhouse demonstrate the potential of Ireland's existing building stock. Rather than expanding into the countryside, underutilised village-centre properties can be sensitively transformed into high-quality homes that support vibrant and sustainable rural communities.

We look forward to progressing the project to the construction stage and sharing further updates as work commences.

Ballinspittle Townhouse

At RUA Architects, we believe that the future of sustainable housing lies not only in new buildings, but in unlocking the potential of the buildings and places that already exist.

Planning Permission Granted – Ballinspittle Townhouse, West Cork