Cork City Council operates a General Development Contribution Scheme (GDCS) and Supplementary Development Contribution Scheme (SDCS) to part fund the provision of public infrastructure and facilities in the City. All planning permissions are subject to this scheme, including permissions granted on appeal by An Bord Pleanála, unless exempt in accordance with the provisions of the scheme.
Contributions are payable prior to commencement of developments or under an agreed payment plan. Contact contributions@corkcity.ie to outline your payment options.
Your Customer Account Number must be referenced when making any form of payment.
The following payment options are available:
EFT Details
| Bank | AIB, 66 South Mall Cork |
| Account | Cork City Council Local Fund |
| IBAN | IE30 AIBK 9341 7880 9080 86 |
| BIC/ SWIFT | AIBKIE2D |
| SortCode | 934178 |
| Account No | 80908086 |
By Post- Cheques or Bank Drafts should be made payable to Cork City Council and forwarded to the Planning Department, Development Contributions, City Hall, Anglesea St, Cork.
In Person- At the Planning Department, City Hall.
Cork City Council would like to remind customers that cheques are expensive means of payment for both recipients and issuers. Electronic payments are secure, less costly and more convenient.
Development Contribution Schemes are programs adopted by the Council in accordance with the provisions of Sections 48 and 49 of the Planning & Development Act 2000, (as amended).
They provide a legal basis for the process whereby developers and others are required to financially contribute towards the cost of providing public infrastructure and facilities that will benefit development within their area.
Such schemes increase flexibility for Local Authorities in relation to the range of projects that can be funded from development levies, by allowing authorities to fund public infrastructure without necessarily tying it to a specific development.
Development Contribution Schemes also provide greater transparency and clarity when levies are assessed and applied to development, which allows developers to establish in advance what level of financial contributions may be applicable to a particular project.
They help ensure that Local Authorities can manage and maintain growth by providing key infrastructure to support local economies and communities.
The contribution rates as detailed in the scheme are subject to a quarterly adjustment using consumer price index (CPI) as published by the Central Statistics Office.
| CPI Rates 2024 | GDC | SDC Residential | SDC Retail |
| January - March | 51.8240 | 13.4366 | 26.8628 |
| April - June | 51.9115 | 13.4593 | 26.9082 |
| CPI Rates 2023 | GDC | SCD Residential | SDC Retail |
| February 13th - March | 49.8700 | 12.9300 | 25.8500 |
| April - June | 50.1616 | 13.0056 | 26.0012 |
| July - September | 51.1532 | 13.2627 | 26.5151 |
| October - December | 51.9990 | 13.4820 | 26.9535 |
| CPI Rates 2023 | GDC | SDC Residential | SDC Retail |
| January - February 2020-2022 Scheme | 60.5625 | 11.4669 | 22.9201 |
| CPI Rates 2022 | GDC | SDC Residential | SDC Retail |
| January - March | 55.6042 | 10.5281 | 21.4036 |
| April - June | 56.1354 | 10.6287 | 21.2446 |
| July - September | 58.2604 | 11.0310 | 22.0489 |
| October - December | 59.3938 | 11.2456 | 22.4778 |
| CPI Rates 2021 | GDC | SDC Residential | SDC Retail |
| January - March | 52.7708 | 9.9916 | 19.9713 |
| April - June | 53.1958 | 10.0721 | 20.1321 |
| July - September | 54.0458 | 10.2330 | 20.4538 |
| October - December | 54.6833 | 10.3537 | 20.6951 |
The current Development Contribution Scheme 2020-2022 was adopted by the Council on the 14th September, 2020 and all decisions to grant planning permission made on or after 14th September, 2020 will be subject to conditions of the Scheme. The permission date of grant determines the applicable development contribution scheme.
On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs through the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority "section 48" development contributions. This temporary waiver applies for 1 year to all permitted residential development -
In addition, in recognition of the fact that developers are required to submit "commencement notices" or "7 day notices" to the local authority in accordance with the Building Control Regulations prior to the commencement of works, the waiver arrangements will also apply to developments in respect of which -
The waiver scheme will apply to all permitted residential development including multi-unit developments, self-build houses and one off rural houses, student accommodation and sheltered housing.
The scheme does not apply to domestic extensions, renovations or refurbishments of existing dwellings, changes of use, 'granny flats', nursing homes, hotels, hostels or aparthotels. In the context of mixed use developments, the waiver applies only to the residential element of the development.
The waiver applies only to residential units in a planning permission that are commenced and completed in accordance with the provisions of the scheme. For larger developments, this may mean that only certain phases of development will be eligible for the scheme and that phases of a scheme with a longer delivery timeline will not.
Supplementary development contribution schemes which are in place under Section 49 of the Act are not included in the waiver scheme.
