'A lot of good can come from it': Tánaiste vows to push for establishment of Cork city taskforce

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that the Government needs to act urgently on its commitment to initiate a taskforce dedicated to the revival of Cork city centre.

The Fine Gael leader told The Echo that he will push for the establishment of a Cork city taskforce — promised in the programme for government — by the end of this year.

It would, he said, be similar to the Dublin city taskforce, and consist of key stakeholders from across Cork city.

“I initiated this taskforce model when I was taoiseach, and the idea was that it’s very easy in large cities for everybody to pass the buck and say ‘that’s a matter for the city council, that’s a matter for the guards, that’s a matter for the HSE’, [whereas] it’s actually a matter for us all to pull together,” the Tánaiste said.

The Government this week approved a new body — operating under Dublin City Council — to implement the Dublin city taskforce’s recommendations for the rejuvenation of the capital.

Mr Harris added that he has also appointed Cork North Central TD Colm Burke as the Fine Gael spokesperson on Cork.

The Tánaiste said he felt the success of the Dublin city taskforce could be replicated in Cork, and that it would help to lift the city.

He said: “The programme for government commits to rolling out a Cork city centre taskforce, and I think we should move forward with that with speed now, because it’s worked in Dublin, I believe, it’s pulled everybody together, and it’s got everyone to say: ‘What’s the shared common vision for Dublin?’

“It’s come up with a structure that will be led by Dublin City Council, under a special purpose vehicle, which gives it teeth and it gives it an ability in terms of a funding stream.

“I will be looking to move forward now quickly with the Cork city centre taskforce and work with Government colleagues and the local authority, if people in Cork are up for that and want that, but my sense is they will, because I believe a lot of good can come from it.”

In setting up and funding the new body to implement the Dublin city taskforce recommendations, the Government had put its money where its mouth was, Mr Harris added, and it was time to follow through on the commitment to a Cork taskforce.

“I think Cork absolutely needs this, and deserves it, just as much as Dublin, and we should get on with it,” he said.

“This is something I’d like to see established this year, because then it obviously takes a period of time for the taskforce to do its work, put its report in place and then get on with implementation, so it would be good to get going within the first year of Government.”

The Dublin city taskforce was headed by An Post CEO David McRedmond, and included Ethel Buckley of Siptu, Assistant Garda Commissioner Angela Willis, Anne Graham of the National Transport Authority, Tony Duffin of the Ana Liffey Drug Project, and Karl Mitchell of Dublin City Council.

Among the taskforce’s key recommendations were the revitalisation of O’Connell St and the redevelopment of the GPO, the regeneration of social housing in the city centre, the conversion of derelict sites into high-density residential areas, and greater visibility of gardaí in the city centre.

Meanwhile, Mr Harris said he was appointing Colm Burke as Fine Gael spokesperson on Cork because he wanted to have a member of the party’s front bench co-ordinating its efforts relating to the second city, both in Government and in local government.

Mr Burke said he looked forward to his new role, and noted Cork was facing a number of infrastructural challenges which needed to be addressed urgently.

“We’ve got a lot of things delivered in Cork over the last number of years, but there’s a lot of things that I want to deliver as well, and it is good to be able to get on to ministers directly, and that’s what I want to be able to do,” Mr Burke said.