City plans new bridges, roads, transport and homes for Docklands

Mon, 19 Jun, 2017 - 10:07

Alan Healy

FOUR new bridges are included in long term plans to develop the Cork Docklands that will be discussed and debated in the city tomorrow.

Cork City Council has published two briefing documents on the Tivoli Docks and the City Docks on the southside of the river and wants the public to view and make submissions on.

The City Docks alone is the same size of Cork's city centre and it is hoped it will provide 9,500 housing units and 29,000 jobs.

It is also hoped that discussion of these documents will focus minds on the need to deliver the proposed Metropolitan Cork Rapid Transit System that will connect Ballincollig to Mahon with a rapid bus of Luas-type tram system.

Initially proposals also include moving the road at Horgan's Quay back inside the railway yard to free up space for riverside apartments and public walkways.

Artists impressions from the city's 2012 docklands public realm report showing how streets in the new docklands development might look.

It is proposed to add two pedestrian bridges that would cross both channels of the River Lee where the merge at Custom House Quay. Another bridge is proposed at Water Street at the eastern end of the railway yard. There are also long term plans for the Eastern Gateway Bridge crossing from the Skew Bridge in Tivoli to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The Council is hosting fully-booked workshops in The Clayton Hotel tomorrow so locals, business people and other interested parties can identify how they would like Cork City Docks and Tivoli Docks to be developed.

The majority of housing in the City Docks will be higher-density apartments that make better use of a mass transit system.

The area to the south of Centre Park Road is envisaged to have a lower density of development including homes that front onto the street.

Cork’s new Lord Mayor, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald said the two docks areas present the city’s greatest opportunity for creating new neighbourhoods.

"We are entering a great period in the development of the city as we focus on building dynamic, interesting, socially inclusive, sustainable urban spaces that are easy to live and work in,” he said.