50 Million Euro Plan for 200 houses in Tullamore
15th June 2017
TWO mushroom farmers from Carlow are the men behind a €50 million plan for 202 houses in Tullamore.
Brothers Leslie and Raymond Codd, Tullow, will build two new estates, Arden Woods and Silverbrook, on a greenfield site off the Arden Road.
_The houses will be constructed on a farm beside the Eiscir Meadows estate and the existing farm buildings will be demolished.
Leslie Codd told the Tribune this week he believes the time is right for a major residential development in a town like Tullamore.
"There's a pent-up demand there and I believe there's a huge demand for housing in the Midlands," said Mr Codd.
"I think now more than ever, houses are needed. I've been in a lot of discussions with Offaly County Council planners on it," he added.
While he could not disclose prices yet, Mr Codd remarked: "We intend to build a high quality house that is affordable for the Tullamore market and for first time buyers."
Pending a grant of planning permission, Codd Property Holdings will begin construction in the last quarter of this year.
The developer described Arden Woods and Silverbrook as "premium" and said the houses will be generously sized, with 158 three-bedroom semi-detached of 1,300 sq ft each.
There will also be 16 four-bedroom detached houses, eight four-bedroom semi-detached dwellings, eight three-bedroom terraced homes and 12 two-bedroom terraced units.
Some of the houses will have options for a solar panel on the roof and the addition of an attic bedroom.
The project also includes a creche for up to 58 children and it will have 30 car parking spaces.
Breda Lewis and Hilary Hamill in Tullamore-based auctioneering firm Sherry Fitzgerald Lewis Hamill will be the agents for the development.
Leslie and Raymond Codd run Codd Mushrooms, the biggest supplier of mushrooms to the Irish market.
The business has not been affected by Brexit because the vast majority of Codd produce is for Irish customers.
They grew up on the family farm in Tullow and started growing mushrooms in 1989. Codd Mushrooms now employs over 200 people.
Gearoid Keegan