Bishop Lucey Park to close for two weeks as major redevelopment project begins

Bishop Lucey Park will be closing to the public from next Tuesday, as works get underway on the major redevelopment of the city centre amenity.

The park will be closed for two weeks, from Tuesday 7 February, in order to facilitate advance works including the removal of a limited number of trees and pruning of others to offer more sunlight to people enjoying the park, and to support the works.

As part of the regeneration of the Grand Parade Quarter, the park is set to be completely renewed, based on an award-winning architectural design by Belfast-based Hall McKnight Architects.

A competition for the redevelopment of the park was run by the Royal Institute of Architects in conjunction with Cork City Council in 2020.

Designers were asked to consider a number of objectives, including the design of a park with “something to offer all ages”, that “opens up” the park to the city, the park’s role as a central “soft space” in the city centre and the medieval nature of the site by “emphasising the existing town walls within the site”.

The winning design from Hall McKnight Architects includes improved access to the historic city wall, a new pavilion and plaza for housing events, improved access and seating for all, and a new tower to mark the eastern entrance.

Cork City Council has said that the redevelopment of Bishop Lucey Park is a key part of its City Centre Strategy, and “integral to improving the quality of amenities in a city that is projected to grow to 300,000 in the next 20 years with an increasing number of young families expected to live in the city centre”.