A vision for Cork City

Closed8 Aug, 2016, 8:00am - 16 Sep, 2016, 7:00pm

Vision Statement

This plan is structured around 15 High Level Goals (HLG’s) that are driven by the The vision for Cork City and this LECP set out has been adopted from the Cork City Development Plan (2015-2021):

 “...to be a successful, sustainable regional capital and to achieve a high quality of life for its citizens and a robust local economy, by balancing the relationship between community, economic development and environmental quality. It will have a diverse innovative economy, will maintain its distinctive character and culture, will have a network of attractive neighbourhoods served by good quality transport and amenities and will be a place where people want to live, work, visit and invest in.”

  • That Cork will have vibrant, resilient, inclusive, sustainable communities where people have a good quality of life and access to quality public services
  • To ensure balanced and sustainable economic development and employment in the city
  • To promote social inclusion and equality by ensuring that all residents of Cork City have equal opportunities to access, participate and engage in the social, economic and lifelong learning opportunities in the city

SCOT Analysis (June 2015)

Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities and Threats (SCOT) in planning for community and economic development in Cork City were identified as part of Socio-Economic Statement that initiated the making of this plan:

Strengths (reflects situation in June 2015)

  • Strong record in attracting and retaining Foreign Direct Investment
  • Strong business services networks/organisations, which actively support new business ventures and inward investing companies
  • The Port of Cork is an EU designated Trans European Network Core Port and a nationally designated Tier 1 port which accommodates services across all six shipping modes
  • International airport serving range of British and European scheduled destinations, including major business hubs of London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schipol
  • A reputation for excellence in undergraduate and post graduate education, training, research and development
  • A very strong community and voluntary sector
  • Excellent quality of life, with sports, cultural and recreational facilities with both the city centre and the countryside being within easy access
  • Significant additional entrepreneurship support available
  • Cork City has World Health Organisation (WHO) Healthy City Status and is pursuing WHO Age Friendly City Status. Cork also has a Food Policy Council
  • Strong track record of inter agency collaboration in the City (e.g. LGBT interagency working group)
  • Several centres of medical excellence located in the city
  • EcCowell Cork promotes integrating strategies across economic, educational, health and environmental needs
  •  The River and waterways are easily accessible and greatly add to the attractive lifestyle and tourism offering. Cork’s harbour is the world’s second largest natural harbour and a major natural asset

Challenges (reflects situation in June 2015)

  • Shortage of modern, large floor plate offices to meet the needs of inward investors and large indigenous companies
  • Possible over dependence on Foreign Direct Investment
  • Continuing concentration of disadvantage in certain geographic areas and among particular communities, while recession has also impacted the wider community and led to a wider dispersal of disadvantage.
  • Decline in passengers and routes through Cork Airport
  • Population has been gradually declining since 1979, with some evidence of stabilisation between 2006 and 2011
  • Reduction in funding to the community and voluntary sector in recent years
  • Significant lack of availability and access to quality, affordable housing in the city is a challenge including the short-term rented sector
  • The age dependency ratio is much higher than the national average
  • Risk of flooding in city centre

Opportunities (reflects situation in June 2015)

  • Potential for new residential and employment development though redevelopment and intensification of ‘brownfield land’ in areas such as the City Centre, Docklands, Mahon and Blackpool
  • Development of a number of Tier 1 broadband connections in Cork
  • Redevelopment of Port of Cork
  • New office developments in City Centre and Mahon, as well as Significant retail developments planned
  • Key development opportunities identified at Blackpool and Tivoli
  • Development of new 6,000 seat events centre and implementation of the City Centre Action Plan
  • Leverage the existing research capabilities and overseas companies to support sustainable indigenous business growth
  • Development of joint Cork City and County Tourism strategy and action plan
  • Implementation of the Lower Lee (Cork City) Flood Relief Scheme (including Blackpool and Ballyvolane)
  • Digital start-up hub in Parnell Place
  • Triple helix – collaboration between government, business and higher education e.g. IT@Cork, Energy Cork
  • Potential to develop the social economy
  • Cork’s participation in UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities

Threats (reflects situation in June 2015)

  • Development of disruptive technologies could impact on employment and attractiveness
  • Rising costs could reduce Cork’s competitiveness and attractiveness
  • Insufficient investment in key enabling infrastructure and technology
  • Competition from other City Regions
  • Lack of housing to attract workers
  • Dependence on small number of companies for high proportion of employment 

High Level Goals (HLG’s) for Cork City

The 15 HLG’s that provide the overall structure for the implementation of this action plan will be realised through a range of strategic objectives and specific actions. This plan is structured around 15 High Level Goals (HLG’s), identified during the plans preparation, representing a collective and holistic vision for city in line with the vision statement outlined above.  The focus of the HLG’s is not on the core business of any one agency but on cross cutting areas of work, avoiding duplication and enhancing collaboration.  A wide variety of citywide multi-agency structures are already in place in Cork City, with some having both their strategic vision and localise action plans in operation (see figure 4 above).  This LECP incorporates these strategic plans thereby recognising their central role in realising many of the High level Goals[1]. Other stakeholders are making valuable contributions to the city but are at a less advanced stage in terms of strategy and operational structure. 

 

[1] General actions supporting their overall implementation of these strategies are included in this plan. Individual actions are not listed, please refer to the strategy in question for more detail.

 

The focus of these HLG’s is not on the core business of any one agency but on cross cutting multi-agency areas of work, avoiding duplication and enhancing collaboration. A wide variety of citywide multi-agency structures are already in place in Cork City, with some having both their strategic vision and their local participation structures in operation.  Other city stakeholders are operation but are at a less advanced stage in terms of strategy and operational structure.  A key challenge for the success of this plan is to create the right conditions that allow these structures to function at their best to grow and enhance the city’s local richness in a dynamic, co-ordinated and confident manner.  By achieving this unified approach at local level, the ideal of “One City, Many Communities” can be realised in Cork city even stronger.Cork City Themes 1-7
Cork City Themes 8-15Figure 6: Cork City LECP 2016-2021 - 15 HLG’s  

 

A key challenge for the success of this plan is to create the right conditions that allow these structures to function at their best and to grow and enhance the city’s local richness in a dynamic, co-ordinated and confident manner.  By achieving this unified approach at local level, the ideal of “One City, Many Communities” can be realised even stronger.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

In September 2015, world leaders attending the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This agenda sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. Each SDG sets out goals, targets and indicators that all UN member states are expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years.

 

 

 


 

 

Figure 8: UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - 17 SDGs

This LECP recognises the strategic importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the integrated multiagency approach required to achieve this within Cork City. Reflecting this, the 15 HLG’s that drive the objectives and actions in this plan are interconnected with the UN’s 17 SDG’s in many ways:

Figure 9: Integrating the UN’s 17 Strategic Development Goals