Fixed Cork Luas bridge ‘will sterilise River Lee’, maritime ambassador claims
Mr McCarthy said: 'I, along with other river users, will ask the design team to revisit the preferred route across current bridges to protect our safe harbour for ships and avoid a mistake that future generations will rue. Picture: Larry Cummins
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has said it will examine "all feasible ways to support river use and activity” after claims that the proposed fixed Luas bridge across the River Lee will “sterilise” the quays, leaving them “permanently blocked”.
The latest claim that a fixed Luas bridge would seal off the city’s quays to medium to large vessels has come from the former commercial manager of the Port of Cork company, Michael McCarthy, who is now an ambassador for Cruise Europe, the largest cruise port network in northern Europe.
Mr McCarthy said that while he favours a light rail for Cork, a fixed Luas bridge connecting Kent Station to the south docks would mean the city would never again see large ships dock in the quays.
“The fixed Luas bridge will sterilise our maritime culture in Cork forever,” Mr McCarthy said.
Mr McCarthy’s comments come after similar claims by Aidan Coffey, CEO of Harbour Link, after he announced two weeks ago that his proposal for a ferry service for Cork Harbour has been abandoned.
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Mr Coffey claimed he had been forced to abandon the proposed €80m service in part due to the council commissioning a river usage study, in addition to plans to build three new bridges across the Lee.
That survey was commissioned last year by Cork City Council and the Cork Docklands delivery office, with a council spokesperson saying the study is nearing completion, with the report due to be published in early autumn.
Cork City Council pointed out that plans to build three new bridges have been included in every Cork City Development Plan since the 2000s and had been in place when Mr Coffey announced his plans for a harbour ferry last year.
The three bridges would include a light rail, pedestrian, and cyclist bridge linking Kent Station with the South Quays; an active travel crossing connecting the North Quays to the South Docklands; and a bridge linking the Lower Glanmire Rd with Monahan Rd.
The council said it had previously supported and granted planning to Mr Coffey in the 2000s for provision of water taxi infrastructure.
“The infrastructure was never developed, planning expired and the legislative process has since changed,” a council spokesperson said.
Last week, Mr Coffey conceded that he had not applied for an MAC.
The council declined to respond to Mr McCarthy’s suggestion that a fixed bridge from Kent station would “sterilise” the quays, saying: “the bridge proposal to link Kent Station to South Docks is being advanced by TII as part of the Luas project and its design is a matter for TII to consider”.
Paolo Carbone, TII Head of Light Rail Capital programmes, said: “TII recognises the importance and sensitivity of the proposed bridge location and will examine all feasible ways to support river use and activity whilst catering for a high-frequency tram service that will carry several thousand passengers every day.
“The outputs of Cork City Council’s river use study will be a key input into the design process and TII will continue to engage with concerned stakeholders.”
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