Council boss: ‘Time is now’ for renewal of Cork city centre

CORK city councillors on Monday night unanimously approved a landmark plan for the future development of the city, which sets out the council’s aim to develop a new attraction of scale, revitalise the city centre, and improve public transport.

Prior to Monday’s meeting, the council’s executive had circulated a 27-page action plan document, designed to guide the execution of Cork City Council’s ambition for the city centre to be people-centred and attractive to work in, visit, and call home.

“The expectations for growth in the city’s population, as well as the opportunity for Cork to leverage its second city status and to play its critical role in our country’s future success, calls for increased focus and attention on the city centre. In response, the council has established the Cork City Centre Development and Operations Directorate (CCDOD),” the document states.

The plan, which has a timeframe of 2025-2030, though some actions will likely require longer-term pursuit/maintenance thereafter, is framed around three pillars: revitalisation, regeneration, and accessibility.

“This document marks the beginning — the first chapter in the regeneration story of Cork city centre,” Council chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan said. “It sets out a blueprint for actions that will deliver impact today while paving the way for strategic transformation tomorrow.

“The time is now. The responsibility is ours. The possibilities are limitless. If not now, when? If not us, who? Cork is ready.”

Actions

The plan includes a number of tangible actions that the council will take, “subject to funding, resourcing and detailed planning”.

This includes several under the heading of ‘vibrancy’, such as increasing the number of public events in the city centre and the number of ‘pop-ups’ hosted by local and new innovative businesses. The council will also explore the potential of ‘meanwhile’ uses as mechanisms to temporarily fill vacant commercial properties.

Also under this heading is the establishment of an attraction of scale, the long-awaited event centre and new city library, as well as advancing an ‘over the shop living’ conversion pilot pre-programme and exploring the potential for a business improvement district.

Actions in the second package entitled ‘streetscapes’ include a review of the public realm in the city centre to identify aspects for improvement and the creation of a strategic plan for revitalisation of streets through both a regular operational programme that will have immediate impact and a capital works programme to create positive urban realm enhancements.

Other aims include enhancing the presentation of the existing public realm and maintaining its quality through seeking an annual maintenance budget allocation, and enhancing the presentation of private building stock and reducing the commercial vacancy rate.

A €200,000 painting grant and shop front grant to assist and encourage building owners to improve the appearance of the building stock in Patrick Street was also approved on Monday night.

Package three, ‘social outreach and co-ordinated city centre management’, includes the establishment of a city centre management dedicated unit, with newly recruited city centre wardens, as well as engagement with An Garda Síochána to better ensure a co-ordinated and strategic Garda presence in the city centre.

Mobility enhancement initiatives are also among the plan’s aims, starting with a review of the ease of movement on the arteries in the city centre, with a particular focus on sustainable modes of transport, considering if and how improvements could be made.

There are plans to increase awareness of available car parks and make any necessary upgrades to city-owned facilities, and pursuing the establishment of coach parking in suitable locations, co-ordination with the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to maintain momentum for Cork BusConnects and Cork Luas. Maintaining taxi availability and service provision to facilitate the night-time economy is also on the agenda.

The plan also aims to create spaces in the city centre that could be pedestrianised either fully, partially, or on a dynamic basis such as on weekends to facilitate socialisation.

Under a final pillar, called ‘strategic development’, the plan commits to encouraging private property development in vacant and derelict spaces, through targeting the activation of both council and third party-owned site developments.

It also sets out an aim to develop and maintain a strategic property list for potential market acquisition activity.

Finally, the council aims to pursue a bespoke ‘city deal’ for Cork city, securing a capital budget to progress regeneration activity.

“The council will investigate and pursue a bespoke Cork City Deal concept with Government, seeking greater certainty over capital budget and strategic decision making as it pertains to the city centre.”

Government taskforce

“The plan will also help inform the work of the taskforce the Government has proposed for Cork city centre,” said a council spokesperson.

But how exactly will that work?

The project is separate to the Cork city taskforce proposed to be set up by the Government following a similar review of Dublin city last year, established by then-taoiseach Simon Harris. The Dublin city taskforce identified several areas in need of investment or plans, and one for Cork was expected to be delivered in the first 100 days of the Government. However, the Government has now been in place for over 300 days.

Mr Harris, now Tánaiste, and his Fine Gael party colleague Colm Burke have called for the taskforce to be implemented numerous times.

However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in the Dáil recently: “People do not like the word ‘taskforce’ in Cork — we are kind of fussy — so they are looking for a different title because the city has made progress. 

"They had issues with that but, in any case, we are going to set up a group in terms of the roadmap for progress and a fresh approach to Cork city itself.”

He said that some work has been undertaken, including by the city council, in respect of how the city should progress, adding: “We want to make sure that in what we establish, we capture that and not duplicate or do something on a different strand or track.”

The issue came up on Monday night, with Mr Martin’s party colleague, councillor Terry Shannon, saying in the monthly council meeting that he was not in favour of the idea.

“I never was a huge fan of the taskforce — just give us the money. We don’t need a taskforce telling us how to run our city,” said Mr Shannon.

Mr Harris told The Echo at the end of November that he had “an informal word” with Ms O’Sullivan: “I committed to coming down and visiting the senior management in Cork City Council for a general briefing on where Cork is at, and I said to her I’m very eager to get the taskforce set up. 

"The chief executive did make the point to me that there was, she thought, already a lot of work done, and a lot of initiatives underway.”

He said he felt the taskforce would happen next year and that he hoped his meeting with Cork City Council would be early in the new year.

Fine Gael councillor Shane O’Callaghan told The Echo after Monday night’s council meeting that he very much welcomed the plan by the chief executive.

“There have been projects ongoing in relation to the city centre over the last number of councils, but it seems there’s a new sense of purpose and great ambition from the new chief executive,” said Mr O’Callaghan.

He said the effects of this renewed focus on the city centre are already being felt and that people are aware that the council is taking the city centre very seriously, which has led to more positivity. “I work in Cork city, and I was out there over the weekend and it feels a lot safer.”

However, he said the Government’s taskforce should still be delivered.

“I think they can work together. I don’t see why it should be one or the other. The taskforce is a positive thing, especially as a mechanism for funding. 

"I think that efforts being made at local level and a national level can only be a positive thing. I envisage them working well in conjunction with each other for the good of the city.”

The council action plan document states: “It is envisaged that Cork will be assigned a Government sponsored ‘taskforce’, similar to that established for Dublin, which will have a mandate that could overlap and also support the plan.

“The council will work closely with such a body of Government, ensuring alignment between the taskforce objectives and the plan, and ensuring that the taskforce is leveraged as an enabler to drive and support the objectives of the plan.”