Major plans for Cork city's Tivoli docks site include up to 6,500 new homes

The Port of Cork Company (PoCC) will be applying for planning permission this month to significantly upgrade access to and from its Tivoli Docks site in Cork city to better facilitate residential development at the site, where the LDA has identified the potential for up to 6,500 homes.

In line with the Port of Cork Masterplan 2050, PoCC plans to continue to consolidate their port operations at Ringaskiddy and at Marino Point, and to transition out of Tivoli Docks and City Quays in the medium to long term, freeing up that land for development.

In preparation for the port’s phased move, plans are being developed to prepare the Tivoli lands for their eventual redevelopment in the next decades.

Located less than 3km from the city centre, Tivoli Docks Is an attractive riverside location of 65 hectares that stretches along the Lower Glanmire Road, beyond Silverprings to the Glanmire/Dunkettle roundabout, which “has extraordinary potential to be reinvigorated as a modern, vibrant and sustainable city district and amenity”, PoCC said.

In November, PoCC will make a planning application to Cork City Council for access infrastructure so as to prepare the Tivoli Docks site for future development.

This includes a new eastern multi-modal road, bus and cycleway interchange infrastructure at the Glanmire Road roundabout with the removal of the existing roundabout, as well as enabling free-flow traffic and an upgraded western multi-modal access at Silversprings also with road, bus and cycleway infrastructure. 

Both accesses prioritise bus connectivity, walking and cycling to and from the site.

Separately, Iarnród Éireann is preparing plans for a new commuter railway station at Tivoli and Cork City Council is designing an active travel cycleway and a walkway through the site.

PoCC is also in discussion with a number of state agencies, including the Land Development Agency (LDA), in relation to the future redevelopment of Tivoli, in line with the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028.

REPORT

It comes as a report published by the LDA earlier this year identified that the site could facilitate the development of 4,830 to 6,510 homes.

The LDA report said that the land currently owned by the PoCC is identified for transfer to the LDA under Housing for All, and that discussions were ongoing with the Port of Cork to “identify infrastructural constraints and potential earlier phases for development”.

They explained that substantial relocation and site preparation would be required, that there is a high potential for site contamination, and that there were high transport and other infrastructural requirements. Delivering the homes would cost between €1.59bn and €2.14bn between infrastructure and development, the report said.

Ann Doherty, CEO of PoCC said: “We are readying Tivoli for future redevelopment and seeking planning permission for improved access in and out of Tivoli is an important first step in its future redevelopment, acknowledging that this will likely take time.” 

Henry Kingston, PoCC’s chief land development officer, added: “Planning permission for improved access in and out of Tivoli is a critical step in preparing Tivoli for future regeneration.

“It is also a key step in its transition from a port, with port related and industrial uses into a housing and mixed use development in accordance with City Council planning objectives in the City Development Plan.” 

 A public information event will be held at the Clayton Hotel Silver Springs in Cork on Thursday, November 20 and members of the public are invited to meet the design team as well as the PoCC project team between 4pm and 7pm.