Public’s view sought on proposed Cork city park

Cork City Council is working on the development of a new park in the north-west of the city, and is asking Cork people to take a survey to express their views.

The proposed park will be located within the lands zoned as ‘public open space’ in the Cork City Development Plan and consists of 116 hectares (287 acres) 2.25km from Cork City centre, north of Kilmore Heights and south of Lower Killeens Road.

A multi-disciplinary consultancy design team was appointed in mid-2024.

Since then, multiple visits have been undertaken to the area to gain an understanding of the site itself and also of the surrounding areas.

Work has been undertaken to establish baseline data locally; preliminary ecological and topographical surveys have been completed, as well as various desktop studies and mapping exercises.

Based on input from the various public engagement sessions and the project survey, a masterplan for the full extent of the park will be established.

An implementation strategy is also being developed to guide Cork City Council in the delivery of the park in a phased manner over the coming years.

A Cork City Council spokesperson told The Echo: “The development of a city park in the north-west area is an ambition of Cork City Council and is designated as a key deliverable in the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028.

“This new park will fulfill an important function in providing a range of both passive and active recreation opportunities and will enhance biodiversity for this area of the city.

“The first step in the process is to develop a masterplan for the site and this is now in the early stages of development.”

They added: “Cork City Council has been engaging with the public, local communities, and groups to establish and respond to the needs and requirements that may be met by the development of the park.

“Engagement will guide the design team and allow individuals and groups to highlight what matters to them and help shape the park’s future development.

“The project survey is still live, and all responses are welcome.

“The delivery of the park will be phased to reflect land availability and funding resources.”

A project questionnaire is live, and all responses are welcome here on the website https://app.maptionnaire.com/q/cork-nwcp