The plans cover the areas of East Cork, Fermoy, Kanturk-Mallow, West Cork, Ballincollig-Carrigaline, Bandon-Kinsale, Blarney-Macroom and Cobh. The adopted Cork County Municipal District Local Area Plans will replace the previous Electoral Area Local Area Plans adopted in 2011 and will incorporate and update the land use zoning maps and associated policy objectives of the nine Town Development Plans adopted by former Town Councils. To note, the draft LAPs have been prepared for the horizon year 2022, however it is intended that once adopted, these will remain in place for 10 years.

In each submission Cork Chamber emphasised the strength of the metropolitan region of Cork with a focus being on access/ permeability, the support for sustainable transport modes and the promotion of appropriate zoning for housing and industrial lands. All submissions were made with a view to impacting positively on the sustainable economic, and social and community development of the region.

Snippet from the Cork Chamber submission to the Draft Cobh Municipal District LAP:

“Access to employment uses in the district is currently characterised by an unsustainable over dependence on private car usage. A prime example of this is Little Island, with associated negative externalities including traffic congestion, queuing and general impacts on the operational environment. Home to almost 1,000 companies at present and more than 16,000 employees, it is Cork’s largest employment area and a key driver of economic growth across the southwest region. A number of short term transport measures to alleviate issues such as improved public transport, cycle access and slip way improvements need to be implemented and as such should be recognised within the plan and prioritised for immediate delivery alongside the focused development of wider strategic solutions for the medium to long term. The planned expansion of the area must be based on the delivery of improved non-vehicular transport modes”.

Representatives of Cork Chamber also recently met with the Senior Planner with responsibility for the Local Area Plan process within Cork County Council. This meeting focused on a discussion of the key points of the

Chamber submissions highlighting such critical zones for action as Little Island and specifically in relation to relieving the congestion and the future sustainable facilitation and enabling of growth within Little Island. We continue to liaise closely with the Council on this issue.