Following consultation between Cork City Council and the National Transport Authority, Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) indicating the expected arrival times for the next 3 buses arriving will be made available at over 500 bus stops in Dublin and Cork.

The scheme is being undertaken by both Dublin City and Cork City Councils, and the Department of Transport provided funding via the National Transport Authority (NTA) for the provision of RTPI displays and infrastructure.

The installation of RTPI will cater for some key bus routes in Metropolitan Cork as defined in the CASP Study. The estimated arrival times of buses, as calculated on the Bus Éireann fleet management system, will be communicated to the RTPI server based in Dublin City Council which will then broadcast the data to each specific bus stop in Cork.

The implementation of the RTPI scheme is being project managed by the NTA and €400,000 has been allocated to Cork. The RTPI displays which will be installed at bus stops and shelters in Cork and Dublin are being manufactured by one of the leading variable message sign suppliers based in Ennistymon, Co. Clare. The civil works to include provision of electrical supplies is in progress at 47 bus stop locations in Cork and final implementation of RTPI will require data transfers from the Bus Éireann fleet management system, as referred to above, and is scheduled for completion in early 2011.

In order for this redevelopment to go ahead, the GAA will require 6.82 acres of the publicly owned lands at the former Muster Agricultural Site. This acreage would include provision for circulation areas and a full GAA sized All Weather Playing Pitch that will be floodlit.

I am hugely supportive of the GAA’s wish to redevelop Pairc Ui Chaoimh, something that the stadium has been in need of for a great many years. At present, Cork does not have a stadium with the capability of hosting major sporting events. As the second largest region in the

State, the absence of such a facility has been holding us back and has resulted in the City missing out on the revenues that accompany such major sporting events. The potential to the City if the GAA do go ahead with this proposal is immense. From both an employment perspective during the construction stages and also the longer term

benefits to the City from an economic perspective. Pairc Ui Chaoimh represents the best opportunity for the region to have a high-quality sporting and outdoor concert venue.

At a recently meeting of council I voted in favour of the motion that was before us, which stated:

“That the revised proposal from the G.A.A. dated May, 2010 for the development of Páirc Uí Chaoimh be facilitated in principle and with this in mind, negotiations take place between G.A.A. and City Council Officials on the details of how this is to be accommodated”

As yet, there has been no discussion or agreement on the sale or disposal of lands. However I recognise that the needs of the residents in proximity to Pairc Ui Chaoimh need to be recognised and taken into account. I fully support this and the concerns of the Residents Associations that have already been in contact with me. What we need to see in this redevelopment is sensible progress, where everyone benefits.

There is a provision for a car park in the redeveloped Pairc Ui Caoimh, however I think possibly a better idea would be to not allow traffic into the area at all. Even if the car park facility was used properly, you will still have streams of cars in and out of what is essentially a residential area.

In the fullness of time I think that perhaps patrons should be required to use park and ride facilities from the outskirts of the City.

Once a planning application has been lodged with City Hall, I will let people know through my website, so that you can make a submission on the future of Pairc Ui Caoimh.

The Docklands Progress Report, prepared by the Docklands Director of Services, gave updates on a whole range of issues pertaining to the development of the South Docks area.

Public Realm Design

The Consultants’ Team lead by Mitchell & Associates are making progress with a significant amount of work being undertaken in the areas of research and analysis on a number of fronts including:

• Roads & Transport
• Drainage & Flooding
• Planning Management & Control
• Arts & Culture

The research and analysis is being facilitated through meetings held using the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) made up of key members of staff from the relevant City Council Departments and consultation with the developers and landowners. There have been three TAG Meetings along with numerous individual meetings with specific council departments and 10 developer consultation meetings to date.

A draft of the proposed broad strategy is expected this week (w/b 12th April) with a view to bringing to the second Steering Group meeting on April 20th 2010.

The programme allows for preliminary design and policy documentation will be submitted to the Docklands Policy Committee and Cork City Council in June 2010.

Planning Permission

a) Origin Enterprises

i. Kennedy Quay Development

Permission was granted for this mixed-use development at the R&H Hall site in May 2009 and was appealed by the Port of Cork and a local developer on Monahan’s Road. However the decision was overturned by An Bord Pleanála. See the Bord’s decision here

b) Planning Applications

i. Topaz Site

Planning application has been submitted and is being processed at present. The application was submitted on March 22nd 2010 and is for the demolition of all existing structures, site clearance and the removal of an establishment to which the Seveso II Directive applies. Permission is also sought for redevelopment of the site and all site development works to incorporate the construction of a mixed-use retail/commercial development ranging 2 to 9 storeys over basement, including mezzanine at ground floor. It is proposed to erect two buildings on the cleared site; namely Block A, a focal building, is located at the north west boundary of the site and will consist of 1 no. café (251sqm gfa), 2 no. retail general stores (430sqm gfa), 2 no. retail comparison stores (638sqm gfa), 1 no. retail warehouse unit (812sqm gfa), 5,311sqm of offices from 2nd floor to 8th floor, green roofs and solar panels at roof level. Block B fronts onto Centre Park Rd and consists of 2 no. cafes (681sqm gfa), 2 no. convenience stores (197sqm gfa), 5 no. retail general units (697sqm gfa), a retail anchor store with a gfa of 8101sqm (2299.2sqm new convenience and 1,840sqm net comparison), 15,322sqm of offices from 1st floor to 7th floor, a 3 storey medical centre (2873sqm gfa) which connects Block A to Block B, a gym (572sqm g.f.a), anchor retail service area, podium landscaped areas at 2nd floor, a winter garden at 2nd floor of medical centre, travelators from basement to ground floor level & escalators from ground to 1 floor, storage areas, plant rooms, ancillary space, waste areas, switch rooms, substations, green roofs and solar panels at roof level. The development also proposes a basement level car park consisting of 339 parking spaces, 334 bicycle parking spaces, ancillary service areas and service area for drainage, all at basement level. Permission is sought for a 10 year period. An EIS and further details of development are available on file. The reference number is st1034336.

c) Imminent Planning Applications

i. Marina Commercial Park

An application on this large site is imminent, with a number of pre-planning discussions held over the last year.

Marina Park

Procurement of design for Marina Park has commenced. The competition should be advertised in May/June 2010 with the consultants selected by the end of 2010.

South Docks District Centre Development Brief 2010

Councillors were also furnished with a copy of the “South Docks District Centre Development Brief 2010″ . This brief relates to the lands benefiting from the District Centre Zoning Objective in the Cork City Development Plan 2009 -2015

To view a copy of the brief, click here

As you are aware in February, I advised that the station, had been acquired by a new owner, whose intention it was to reinstate the former use of the site i.e. to reopen as a garage and shop.

However, an issue has arisen over planning permission on the site. It transpires that in order to reinstate the tanks (originally removed some years ago) planning permission is required. The owner of the site in the last number of weeks applied to City Council for a Part V Exemption Certificate, however this was refused. The options now open, are to either appeal to An Bord Pleanal, the decision but Cork City Council, to refuse the Part V exemption, or else to apply for planning permisson for the reinstatement of the tanks.

The new local area plan will set out a planning and development strategy for the area, the boundary of which is broadly defined by Skehard Road to the north, Lough Mahon to the east, Douglas Estuary to the south, and Mahon Golf Club to the west.

To start the preparation of the plan the City Council is undertaking a pre-draft issues exploration consultation to identify key planning and development issues. A public consultation workshop to promote discussion about the area’s future will be held on Wednesday 21 April 2010 at the Conference Room, Bessborough Centre, Mahon, Cork. Places are limited and must be booked in advance by ringing 021-492-4757.

Further details on the project are available here (pdf report)

Written submissions/observations are invited from interested parties on the key planning and development issues to be considered in the Local Area Plan.  The deadline for the receipt of submissions/observations is 4.30pm on Monday, 10^th May 2010. Please include your own name and address on submissions/observations and address them to:

Kevin Terry,
Director of Services & City Engineer,
Planning & Development Directorate,
City Hall,
Cork.

Alternatively submissions can be emailed to  southmahonlap@corkcity.ie by the above date.

This material contravention arose due to a planning application by Cleary Developments. The proposed development (click here to view) will consist of an office development of a total Gross Floor Area of 32,318 sq.m. in a series of three blocks with internal streets on lands at Ballinure, Mahon, Cork.  The  proposal will range from 2 floors over ground to 7 floors over ground with ground floor commercial uses comprising of Retail Units, Retail Offices, Showrooms/Commercial Units, Primary Care Centre and Financial Services Unit, Leisure Centre and Restaurant; these proposed units will front onto the Ring Mahon Road, internal Mahon Point Shopping Centre access road and Estuary Drive. The proposal also allows for commercial uses such as Café Bistro (located in the internal street), landscaping, access revisions at the Mahon Point Junction access, basement car parking over two levels, access to the basement car park off the Mahon Point Shopping Centre internal access; access/egress to Estuary Drive from the basement at Ballinure, Mahon, Cork.

The proposed development would materially contravene Land-Use Zoning Objective 5 ‘Residential, Local Services and Institutional Uses’ of the Cork City Development Plan 2009-2015, the objective of which is to protect and provide for residential uses, local services, and institutional and civic uses.

The piece of land in question is the waste land beside the National Software Centre in Mahon. There were no objections received by City Council since the material contravention notice was advertised, neither by local residents or indeed the NRA.

A report received by the City Councillors this week from the Manger, stated that “The development proposed has the prospect of creating an extra 1,500 jobs in the area. The adjacent development carried out by the same applicant in recent times has been very successful and has delivered in the region of 1,000 jobs.”

To view a copy of the planners report on the application, click here (pdf)

If you have any views or question on the application, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. A special meeting of the City Council will take place this Monday, the 15th, to make a decision on this issue. A two thirds majority is required to pass the Material Contravention (i.e. 23 of 31 councillors)

In advance of the debate, it is my intention to vote to alter the development plan, based on the recommendations of both the Director of Planning and the City Manager.

Update: At Council tonight, those members of the Council present (26 of 31), voted unanimously to contravene the City Development plan, following a commitment from City Manager that development charges will be ringfenced for upgraded traffic plan in Mahon.

You can view the planning application by clicking here.

The planning application is for the construction of new clubhouse at the existing site. The development will consist of a two storey clubhouse providing dressing rooms, meeting rooms, gym, offices, club shop, storage areas, plant, ESB room, toilets and showers at ground floor level and a function room, club bar, kitchen and viewing balcony at first floor level. The development will also consist of partial demolition of existing clubhouse and relocation of existing entrance off Churchyard Lane (R852).

I have requested a copy of the plans from Cork City Council and hope to be in receipt of these in the coming days.

However on the face of it, I feel this is a hugely positive step for both Cork Constitution Club and indeed the Temple Hill and Ballinlough areas. As you may be aware in the past, it was the intention of O’Callaghan Properties to acquire this site and to apply to City Council to  rezone the area for housing. The proposed O’Callaghan development included the construction of four hundred and forty seven residential units, comprising ninety three town houses and three hundred and fifty four apartments. The plans also include the development of a crèche and a ‘neighbourhood centre’ which would house retail units i.e. doctor’s surgery, cafes, shops etc. O’Callaghan Properties intend to retain an open space of approximately three acres.

If anybody wishes to review the plans, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Over the last number of days, the activity at the Dunmahon Service Station site on the Douglas Road has been brought to my attention by some of the residents in the area. As you can imagine people were enquiring if the proposed apartment development was going ahead.

You may be aware, that An Bord Pleanala granted permission for the development of this site in January 2009. The planning permission was for a three story building, consisting oftwenty six apartments and eight houses (originally thirty eight apartments and eight houses)

As a means of ascertaining what is progressing on the site, last Friday, Deirdre Clune TD and I met with the gentleman who is undertaking the current works. He informed Deirdre and I that he is reinstating the site as an Esso Garage and Convenience Store. He informed us that the existing building shell and forecourt area will be retained as is and cleaned up, meaning that the site will revert to its former use. It is expected that the station will be open within eight weeks.

Having spoken to a number of the residents in the area since our meeting on Friday, people feel that this is a hugely positive step for the residents in the surrounding parks.

An Bord Pleanala has granted permission for the development of the former Esso Station, Douglas Road.

The decision was granted on Thursday (22/01/09)and as yet I do not have full details of the conditions attaching to the permission. However, I have been informed that the main condition is that the developer has to omit the entire second floor, i.e. the floor beneath the penthouse. This effectively reduces the development to a three storey building.

The number of units in the development has also been reduced to twenty six apartments and eight houses (originally thirty eight apartments and eight houses)

I hope to be in receipt of the full decision early next week and would be happy to discuss it with you, if you so wish.

On August 19th 2008, Cork City Council have requested further information from the developer. The position is that this decision has postponed pending the submission of this information. The developer has six months to submit this information and once City Hall has received it, a decision will be made with four weeks. All those who have made submissions will receive copies of the information submitted by the developer.

FURTHER INFORMATION REQUEST AS SOUGHT BY CORK CITY COUNCIL

1. A complete schedule of external floor areas in the proposed development.

2. In the context of the infrastructure strategy as adopted in the South Docks Local Area Plan details how the development would accommodate this flood risk in particular with respect to the location of habitable/vulnerable building use.

All basements shall be passively protected against flooding to the minimum ground floor level. There shall be no reliance on human or mechanically activated means to protect the basements to this minimum level.

3. (a) Site layout, ground floor plan and landscape plan etc shall all be revised to omit encroachment onto public road (i.e. grass margin outside the site, south of southern footpath of Monahan’s Road).

(b) Sight-lines of 70m shall be provided, to the nearside kerb, to both left and right of any proposed exit, to Cork City Council satisfaction. Sight lines shall not be obstructed by tree or parallel parking or by any structures taller than 1m off public road. N.B. Sight-lines, as shown on drawing 0427-P-100 rev. 0 are not satisfactory.

(c) Gradient of car park ramp, where it crosses the existing public footpath & public grass margin (which is shown as 1:8 ) is far too steep. All road & footpath gradients shall be between 1 in 200 & 1 in 20 & in no case shall be steeper than 1 in 12, (vehicle ramps under-cover in basements may be at steeper gradients).