Monastery Court

Description

Monastery Court is an age-friendly housing development by Fingal County Council, situated on Church Road in Lusk. The project replaces a single 1950s dwelling on a 0.11-hectare site with five two-bedroom homes, carefully designed to meet the needs of older tenants and those with special requirements. The project incorporates many age friendly principles such as:
• Location: The development is well connected and within walking distance of local amenities, green space and public transport.
• Connection to Outdoors: All units overlook a landscaped communal courtyard, fostering social interaction and a sense of community. Ground floor units have private landscaped gardens, while first-floor units have terraces.
• Approach & Access: Separate ramped and stepped access routes cater to different mobility needs. Ground floor units have level access thresholds at front and rear doors, while first-floor units are accessed by an ambulant disabled staircase.
• Entering & Movement: Spacious entrance halls, wide internal doors, and open-plan living spaces promote easy movement and flexibility within the home. Front doors are colour coded for easy recognition.
• Spare Bedroom: Each unit includes a guest room to accommodate a carer, friend, or family member, supporting residents’ social connections and care needs.
• Accessible Bathrooms: All homes feature level access showers with grab rails and shower seats. Where possible soft spots in the construction allow future connection of bedrooms and bathrooms, providing flexibility for changing needs.
• Energy & Cost Efficient: Each unit incorporates air source heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and Passive House construction standards, achieving an A2 BER rating. This ensures excellent thermal comfort, air quality, and low utility bills, reducing fuel poverty and supporting residents’ health and well-being.

Aim of Initiative

The aim of this project was to transform an underutilized site in the established village of Lusk into high-quality, sustainable social housing that meets the specific needs of older citizens and those with special needs. By doing so, the project addresses the existing demand for age-friendly housing within the area, creating homes that are accessible, safe, and energy efficient. Monastery Court supports older residents to live independently for longer, fosters a sense of community, and promotes ageing in place. Additionally, by allocating these homes to downsizing tenants, larger family homes within the community are freed up for younger families, supporting the evolving housing needs of Lusk’s residents.

Who is it aimed at

These homes are aimed at older/downsizing tenants and/or tenants with special needs on the social housing waiting list.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Developing an early understanding of the site, its context, constraints and proximity to services, amenities and transport links to ensure the project met the requirements for age friendly housing. This informed the design and location of dwellings within the site.
2. The site is located within the historic core of Lusk village and is an Archaeological Conservation Area. This required careful consideration of design, materials, and scale to respect the setting and resulted in a low density scheme with a sensitive approach to its context.
3. The site is split over two levels in response to the site topography. This allowed for the dwellings and a communal landscaped area to be positioned at the upper level enhancing a sense of security. All dwellings are oriented around the landscaped courtyard which provides a space for social interaction and fostering a sense of community. Raised rainwater planters not only contribute to sustainable urban drainage (SuDS) solutions but also enhance biodiversity and provide an opportunity for residents to congregate with neighbours, engage with nature and tend to the plants and flowers, strengthening community ties.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Typically, social housing projects take a minimum of 2.5 years from initial inception to completion. In the case of Monastery Court, this site is located within an Archaeological Conservation Area (ACA) which required an archaeological impact assessment and archaeological monitoring prior to Part XI and a full archaeological dig of the site carried out under a separate enabling works contract. All of which extended the timeframe to completion.
2. Passive House certification requires stringent standards for airtightness, ventilation, and thermal bridging, demanding verification and documentation by the Passive House Institute. As the contractor was new to Passive House, they engaged a consultant to advise them throughout the project.
3. In general, a tenant’s specific needs are only confirmed during construction and in some cases post-handover. This is challenging if there are any alterations which may require revised planning permission, or if additional funding is required as there is currently no mechanism to apply for additional funding at construction stage. To address this, the design incorporated as many age-friendly principles as possible to accommodate a broad range of future needs.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The revitalisation of an underutilized site with anti-social behaviour issues into an attractive new housing development benefiting from the use of established community, local amenities and good transport links.
2. All dwellings incorporate low-cost, sustainable features including heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and Passive House construction standards which result in significantly lower utility bills. These energy efficient measures promote long-term affordability, help alleviate fuel poverty, and ensure excellent thermal comfort and air quality, supporting the health and well-being of tenants.
3. Allocating these homes to downsizers has freed up larger three- and four-bedroom properties within the community, better matching housing supply with family needs.