Lord Mayor says Cork 'leading the way' as city is reimagined with permanent streetscapes

The Lord Mayor of Cork has said that the €1.3 million in funding for Cork city under Fáilte Ireland’s Weatherproofing & Dining Enhancement Scheme “will go a long way to facilitating permanent streetscapes within the city”.

Speaking in Cork on Monday, Lord Mayor Cllr Colm Kelleher said not only will the funding provide for a weatherproof permanent outdoor dining solution during the colder months but that it shows confidence in the city.

“We led the way during Covid in relation to pedestrianising our streets and we’ve permanently pedestrianised 14 streets in the city and this funding will go a long way,” he told The Echo.

He said that he has “no doubt” that other funding streams will be looked at in the future and that cities such as Galway, Kilkenny and Dublin are looking at what Cork has.

Once again we are leading the way, not only as a regional capital but as a city within the Republic.

He compared walking around the city centre during the summer months to that of being in the South of France and said that while it will become more challenging when the weather changes, that the weatherproofing infrastructure which is to be installed at Princes Street, Caroline Street, Pembroke St, Beasley Street and Union Quay by early November will “improve the vibrancy of the city centre experience”.

“If there’s one silver lining out of Covid and out of this pandemic it’s that we reimagined our city and how we live and work and play within it. It’s [the funding is] very welcome and I know the elected members in Cork City Council and a few of the executives are always chasing central Government for funding and they’re not finished yet,” he said.