‘Community deserves full clarity’ on Tivoli Docks plan

Councillors for the north east ward have encouraged residents of Mayfield and Glanmire to engage in an upcoming planning permission from the Port of Cork Company for upgraded access infrastructure for their Tivoli Docks site, in order to facilitate future residential development there.

Green party councillor Oliver Moran, who organised a public meeting on the topic last Monday night, told The Echo: “Because of the route the Port of Cork is taking, there won't be a public consultation on the proposal like residents have come to expect with other roads projects.

“Despite being a public road, it will be a straight-up planning application from the Port of Cork, as if it were a private planning matter.

“For me, that's probably the most incredible aspect of this project. That an application for a roads project of this size, with no accompanying housing, can come through a channel that requires people to pay a €20 fee to have their say. There will be no non-statutory rounds of open public input before then.

“That is expected to be in December. With any private planning application, there's a delay before the application is verified and information is made available online. So, we're looking at a few weeks over the Christmas period, which I think is incredible for such a large-scale project with an impact on the public like this, and no housing along with it.” 

Fianna Fáil’s Margaret McDonnell said: “While the proposed €80 million interchange at Tivoli presents potential opportunities for future development, I believe it is premature to celebrate or oppose it outright at this stage. What matters most is that the planning process remains transparent and genuinely consultative.

“I acknowledge that improvements to access and infrastructure can help unlock well-designed mixed-use development once the port operations relocate. And if managed properly, such investment could bring long-term benefits for homes, jobs and connectivity in Cork.

“However, the community deserves full clarity on how this will unfold — what the traffic impacts will be, how residents in Mayfield and Glanmire will be protected, how any housing on the site will integrate with public transport and amenities. 

At the moment we do not yet have all of those facts.” 

She encouraged people to be patient, saying: “Let’s look forward to a full planning application, comprehensive environmental and traffic assessments, and rigorous consultation with residents, before final decisions are taken. That way, we avoid knee-jerk negativity and instead focus on making sure this project genuinely works for local people.

“In the meantime, I’m happy to support progress — provided that transparency, community voice and high-quality planning remain at the heart of it.”