Public invited to have their say on proposed new greenway for Cork city

PUBLIC consultation has commenced on the first phase of a proposed new greenway for Cork city, which when complete will deliver almost 10km of high-quality walking and cycling facilities.

People can now have their say on phase one of the Maglin Greenway, a new walking and cycling route between Maglin Rd and Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin in Ballincollig.

The local authority said the proposed facility will be a high-quality commuter, recreational and safe route for pedestrians, cyclists and school children, with the route offering an “attractive alternative to car travel”.

The Maglin Greenway phase one is the first phase of the overall BC-GW2 greenway route outlined in the Cork Cycle Network Plan (2017).

In the long term, it’s planned that the city council, together with the National Transport Authority (NTA) will develop BC-GW2 as a greenway starting at Kilumney village to the southwest of Ballincollig and continuing for 9.7km along the former Great Southern Railway Cork to Macroom Direct Line as far as Curraheen.

The route, according to the council, will deliver “significantly improved walking and cycling facilities” consistent with the current Cork City Development Plan, the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS) and the recently published Cycle Connects Plan (2022).

The first phase covers an area of about 1.4km and will connect to several residential estates, namely, Glincool, Carriganarra and Limeworth before eventually terminating at the new Heathfield residential estate currently under development.

The proposed works include the provision of 3-4m wide shared use paths, quietways through estate streets, new footpaths, lighting and public realm improvements that highlight the local railway heritage of the area.

Meanwhile, the proposed landscape design aims to improve biodiversity and wildlife potential with opportunities to include outdoor recreational areas, while preserving residential privacy and amenity.

A key objective of the proposed scheme is to provide “high-quality, cohesive, and integrated infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians” along the former railway line, which the majority of the route would follow.

It’s also aimed at providing a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists to Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin and to create an environment which will encourage modal shift to sustainable forms of transport.

People can make a submission online by visiting consult.corkcity.ie/en.

Submissions can also be made in writing, addressed to ‘Senior Engineer, Infrastructure Development, City Hall, Cork’ clearly marked ‘Maglin Greenway – Phase 1’.

The closing date for receipt of submissions is July 21 at 4pm.