Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has urged the Taoiseach to state whether the Government will move to compulsorily purchase the Bessborough lands after An Coimisiún Pleanála approved plans for 140 apartments on the former mother and baby home site.

An Coimisiún Pleanála has granted permission for a residential development on the grounds of Bessborough in Cork. Ms Cairns described the ruling as shocking and said it should not proceed without a thorough investigation into possible burials on the lands, calling on the Taoiseach to clarify the State’s response.

She argued the decision relies on inadequate information and appears at odds with findings of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, which highlighted missing burial records and said it was highly likely burials took place on the site.

Deputy Cairns said: "The decision of An Comisiún Pleanála (ACP), to grant permission for the construction of 140 apartments on the grounds of Bessborough is shocking.

"The ACP decision stated that "from the information available, there is no evidence that there are unrecorded burials in the area proposed for the subject development". However, the available information is wholly inadequate. There has never been a comprehensive survey of the site to try to find out if children were buried there.

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"It is also a contradiction of the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby homes which stated it was “perplexed and surprised” that the burial records of the children did not exist and said it was “highly likely” that burials did take place on the grounds.

"The ACP judgment itself acknowledges that “the history of burials on these lands is incomplete due to the lack of records during the period of use of Bessborough as a Mother and Baby Home”. Yet, despite these incomplete records, ACP have still deemed it appropriate to approve planning permission for this development.

"The ACP decision also refers euphemistically to the particular sensitivities associated with the Bessborough lands and the use of Bessborough House as a Mother and Baby Homes. This language minimises the horror of what went on here. Women and children incarcerated, forced labour, family separation and a child mortality rate that was as high as 75 percent.

"For 923 children, being born in Bessborough was a death sentence and the burial site for 859 of those children has never been found. If this development goes ahead, their remains could forever be lost.

"While the ACP report refers to archaeological safeguards that it says are sufficient to warrant this development going ahead, it is also important to mention that the human rights abuses that took place in Bessborough did not occur in some dim and distant past. There are women alive now who gave birth to children who are missing. Many of those missing children have siblings who also want to find them.

"Last week, when I raised this planning application with the Taoiseach, I asked him if the government would compulsorily purchase the site if this planning decision went ahead and these apartments were going to be built.

"At the time, the Taoiseach said it was his view that Cork City Council should have purchased the site before now and said the government would decide how to respond if ACP were to grant planning.

"That has happened now so the Taoiseach must clarify. Is the government going to compulsorily purchase this site to prevent apartments being built on a mass grave. Or, do State apologies to the survivors of mother and baby homes really mean nothing?"