Playgrounds, cycleway, and road safety in council's plans for northside suburbs

A new council term has begun and local councillors have been outlining some of the major developments in the pipeline for the area.

Labour’s John Maher said the upcoming developments include works on North Dock Park, which are due to get under way soon, along with the new playground for Glanmire going through public consultation and a new playground in Mayfield, which is imminent — the council just needs to finalise and approve the location.

Homes, including at Penrose Wharf and in Ballyvolane and Glanmire, are needed but so is infrastructure, he said, such as primary care centres, a community centre in Ballyvolane, the Glen/Mayfield cycleway, shared bike scheme, Northern Distributor Rd, and a Northern Ring Rd.

Green party councillor Oliver Moran said that in the next year progress must be made on the Traveller Accommodation Plan. “There’s no day-to-day maintenance at Spring Lane — that’s having a horrific impact on the families living there. Things are at breaking point, if they’re not past it already.”

Mr Moran continued that the roll-out of 30km/h speed zones will be a defining feature of this year. “Current plans are more conservative than I think most residents groups are demanding,” he said, and added that a framework plan for the area around Murphy’s Rock, which he believes has huge potential as a biodiversity park, will be published in October.

Worker’s Party councillor Jerrica Struthers said she is pushing for K-shape gates at Glenamoy Lawn and Ardbhaile estates to curb antisocial behaviour and scrambler use; keeping an eye on retrofitting schemes in these estates; is in talks to pilot a communal bin scheme in Mayfield to help with costs; and is calling for yellow junction boxes and a safe pedestrian crossing between Corrib Lawn/Ballinderry and Gweedore Ave/Liffey Park entrances.

Housing

Fianna Fáil’s Margaret McDonnell said one of her main priorities is making sure that the significant amount of housing is matched by investment in roads, public transport, pedestrian infrastructure, schools, healthcare, and community facilities.

She welcomed progress on the greenway, new park, and primary care centre in Glanmire, as well as BusConnects works and developments in Tivoli and the Docklands.

Fine Gael’s Joe Kavanagh has called for Cork City Council to reverse the decision to close the slip road from Middle Glanmire Rd feeding traffic onto Summerhill North at St Luke’s Cross which, he says, is causing serious traffic delays. He has been against this plan since it was proposed. This will come before the next local area committee meeting on September 28.

Mr Kavanagh has also called for a total ban on scramblers and for the clearing of “totally blocked” stormwater drains in St Luke’s and Montenotte.

Independent Ireland’s Noel O’Flynn is also calling for the St Luke’s slip road to be reinstated, as well as for padel courts in Kempton Park, Ballyvolane, and for the council to carry out renovations to the historic St Luke’s Church and make the lower-ground-floor area available to the local community and school.

He also welcomed the publishing of plans for the Murphy’s Rock area after “great input from residents and business people in the area”.