Páirc Uí Chaoimh appealing Cork City Council refusal of bus set-down plan

Plans for a bus set-down area and turning point on the city side of Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be decided by An Coimisiún Pleanála, with the city council’s refusal being appealed by the stadium.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh CTR was unsuccessful in its bid to secure permission for a vehicular set-down and drop-off circulation area at the stadium and Marina Park in Ballintemple.

While approval was initially considered, Cork city councillors refused permission following a campaign by local residents.

Among the dozens of submissions was an objection from the Ballintemple Area Residents’ Association (BARA), who said the proposed development was “effectively a car park”.

The group, with upwards of 350 members, wrote that Monahan Rd will see “significant pressures” in the next few years, due to increased development, with the road being the only vehicular route into and out of the Docklands to the east.

Increased delays

“Any vehicular queue to access a turning circle or set-down will result in increased delays for both traffic and public transport services,” the group said, before raising additional safety and disruption concerns that might impact the adjoining Marina Park.

Voting on the plans last month, Cork City Council ruled that the proposed development would contravene a zoning objective of the Cork City Development Plan, which designated the land public open space.

It said the objective for this land was “to protect, retain, and provide for passive and active recreational uses, open space, green networks, natural areas, and amenity facilities”.

However, a council spokesperson noted that issues related to access, traffic, and parking were deemed satisfactory during the previous planning process, and decided that the proposed development would not have seriously injured the residential or visual amenity of the area, and was in accordance with proper planning and sustainable development.

Expressing disappointment at the city council’s decision, chief executive of Cork GAA, Kevin O’Donovan, said the design of the scheme was intended to improve public safety by making it easier for buses travelling to the stadium to allow passengers to disembark away from the public road, adding that the plans did not intend to remove access to Marina Park.

The proposed development now lies with the planning commission, following a first-party appeal by Páirc Uí Chaoimh CTR, with a decision due by October 12.