Unanimous support for public park at former Cork mother and baby home

Cork city councillors have unanimously backed calls for the grounds of the former Bessborough mother and baby institution to be turned into a public park.

It comes as the council warned that changes would need to be made to zoning in the city development plan, and that the cost of compulsorily acquiring the site would be significant.

Labour’s Peter Horgan asked that the council seek to begin a process with the relevant government departments to use a compulsory purchase order on the entire land at Bessborough in order to make it a new public park and memorial to the history of the site.

Zoning

He was told at the council’s corporate policy group meeting: “There is a mix of zoning objectives in the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 in the demesne at Bessborough, with a portion zoned open space, and remaining land zoned for housing.

“A number of planning applications have been refused on the lands. The compulsory purchase of the lands and their development as a public park would require a significant level of expenditure by the city council and at this time there is no central funding mechanism that can be called upon to cover this expenditure, either fully or in part.

“The city council has been engaging with survivor representatives in relation to appropriate ways to commemorate and respect the history of this and other institutions.”

The written response continued: “The development of the lands at Bessborough were given significant consideration during the preparation and consultation processes of the statutory Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028.

“The specific zoning regime for the site and site specific development objectives are outlined in the plan and acknowledge the special character, history, and intrinsic landscape value of the site.

“The plan seeks to facilitate the appropriate development of the site, including the development of housing and the use of part of the grounds as a neighbourhood park.

“Should council wish to proceed to compulsorily purchase the entirety of the lands at Bessborough for a public park, the governing zoning regime and stated objectives of the city development plan would need to be appropriately amended and justified through the statutory review process of the next city development plan.”

Welcome

Mr Horgan, whose motion was unanimously agreed, told The Echo: “I welcome the agreement from councillors on the report on the motion.

“I believe the motion seeks to begin the process of memory and atonement in Bessborough.

“It is very much my view that no building can take place there and it must become a public park of reflection.

“Now we have council approval, the next step is to engage Government, including An Taoiseach and An Tánaiste.

“Working together for the memory of the events that happened there must be the core on this.”