This is our response to the current draft plan, in particular a response to the climate change, environment and blue and green infrastructure items in the plan.

<p>

<a href="http://5.44">5.</a>1: &nbsp;Making Cork a more resilient City. Green Spaces for Health endorse the inclusion of local food in the&nbsp;convergence between climate adaptation and climate mitigation.

</p>

<p>

(a)&nbsp;We welcome the dedication of specific areas in&nbsp;two large city parks to community food growing. The parks are Clashduv in Togher and Murphy's Farm Bishopstown. GSFH believe that the growing of food locally is critical to creating a food resilient community.&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

(b) Food growing community gardens should be available to people living in all areas of the city, this model of growing in large city parks can be expanded to the new and already existing parks across the city.&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

(c) Green Spaces for Health are strong advocates of&nbsp;locally grown&nbsp;food&nbsp;and believe farmland owners within the city boundaries should be incentivised to produce food&nbsp;for the city's population. The current model of mass importation&nbsp;of vegetables, fruit and grains is not sustainable, not least as it leaves Cork vulnerable&nbsp;to&nbsp;food security issues that are emerging&nbsp;as a consequence of climate change.

</p>

<p>

<a href="http://5.44">5.44</a>&nbsp;Green Spaces for Health welcome the provision of a better-connected network of attractive, safe green spaces and corridors to entice people to walk and cycle and reduce reliance on car use.

</p>

<p>

(a) Green corridors must first have a comprehensive&nbsp;ecological&nbsp;audit/ survey carried out by an independent ecologist to&nbsp;determine the wildlife, biodiversity, habitat&nbsp;in the area and to design the greenway based on the findings of such a survey lest the proposed greenway destroy the very nature&nbsp;it sets out to highlight.&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

(b) The plan must favour natural paths when creating green corridors for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users, not concrete surfaces.&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

(c) Understorey&nbsp;vegation must be protected,&nbsp;this is valuable cover for species, this includes ivy, bramble, nettles, grasses, etc. The incursion of&nbsp;greenways must&nbsp;be designed to have&nbsp;little&nbsp;impact&nbsp;on the local habitat, often these areas are the last urban strongholds&nbsp;for species.

</p>

<p>

<a href="http://5.45:">5.4</a>6 - <a href="http://5.47:">5.47:</a>&nbsp;GSFH welcome greening opportunities that new buildings, extensions, retrofitting provides.

</p>

<p>

(a) Can this section expand to include architecture for nature such as the inclusion of&nbsp;bricks in buildings to accommodate swifts, and other threatened birds who cannot find shelter as they once did in more traditional buildings.&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

(b) Apart from 'encouraging' developers, planners to include green infrastructure such as green rooftops (where applicable) in their designs can&nbsp;there be a stronger impetus in the development plan&nbsp;to ensure this becomes practice.&nbsp;In some EU cities it is mandatory to include green infrastrure in urban designs.

</p>

<p>

6.7 Objectives BGI Biodiversity: GSFH agrees that new development can create biodiverse rich green and blue infastructure by retaining and enhancing existing trees, plants and providing new wildlife corridors, buffer zones or green bridges.

</p>

<p>

(a) All new developments should include informed ecological choices of tree types and plant types. In a recent survey of the trees in South Parish, of 1000 trees approximately 18% were native, the remaining 82% non native. If this is in any way indicative of the tree population overall in Cork City there is a serious deficit of native trees. To increase biodiversity there has to be an increase in native trees on streets, apartment complexes, office&nbsp;building, etc&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

(b) Under Climate Change and the Environment GSFH acknowledge and welcome the inclusion of and acknowledgement of the importance of tree planting in relation to carbon sequestration, absorbing water and providing urban shading, etc

</p>

<p>

(c) Under People, Commuities, Health and Well Being we acknowledge and welcome the inclusion of community food growing through community gardens and the distinction between this and food growing allotments.

</p>

<p>

In Table <a href="http://6.4:">6.4:</a>&nbsp;We support the Lee to Sea Greenway becoming an objective of&nbsp;the plan and Point 9. Ecology, biodiversity and Natural Heritage Data Project for Cork is a very welcome addition to the plan, serious gaps exist in baseline data &nbsp;for ecology and biodiversity; overcoming these gaps is critical in the context of our biodiversity crisis. We would like to understand how the development will address this issue specifically.

</p>

<p>

We support Point 13 City Centre Neighbourhood Parks Pilot Projects and 14 Activate Greening Projects in Cork City Centre. we urge the model of partnering with Cork City Council Parks Department across a wide variety of projects located in city parks such as mentioned earlier: food growing in public parks. Also Food tree trails across the city, the development of natural green outdoor playing areas in urban areas particularly in areas devoid of outdoor playing opportunities for children such as the St Finbarr's Quarter (Area around Noonan Road, Gilabbey Street, Barrack Street)

</p>

<p>

<a href="http://6.59:">6.59:</a>&nbsp;GSFH welcome the Cork City Council Heritage and Biodiversity Plan 2021 to 2026 and look forward to its publication

</p>

<p>

<a href="http://6.66:">6.66:</a>&nbsp;"Natural heritage and biodiversity of Cork City is not just contained within designated areas alone but is found throughout the City. Many areas which do not have formal protection under leglislation have a local&nbsp;natural heritage value in terms of the urban environment in which they are located, the plant and animal life that they support and he biodiversity that lies within them <a href="http://e.g.">e.g.</a>&nbsp;woodlands, hedgerows, rivers, private gardens, parks, sports grounds, graveyards, institutional lands including religious grounds, hospitals, schools and universities."&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

These (above)&nbsp;are the areas that are most at risk. Can the development plan issue guidelines on how they might&nbsp;be protected in the absense of any legal protection?

</p>

<p>

Objective <a href="http://6.5:">6.5:</a>&nbsp;Green Spaces for Health support and particularly welcome points a, b, c, d, e and wish to include a point that references the importance of a strategic partnership between community groups and Cork City&nbsp;Council in the planting of trees in urban areas. Community Groups want to plant trees and if they are given the opportunity to do it in partnership with Cork City Council the long term survival and protection of the trees is potentially higher.

</p>

<p>

Objective 6.8 &nbsp;This is a key objective of GSFH, Community Food Growing and it is a very welcome inclusion in the development plan. The inclusion of "incorporation of food growing opportunities into residential development schemes" is particularly positive. We look forward to the development of this objective.

</p>

<p>

Objective <a href="http://6.18">6.18</a>&nbsp;and the protection afforded open spaces is very welcome, similarly with point (f) Green Spaces for Health have identified several areas in Cork City that potentially could be depaved to liberate the soil and all the potential that this implies. For Example, the tarmac&nbsp;area on Noonan's Road (St Finbarr's Quarter) could be depaved and converted into a green area for a children's playground.

</p>

<p>

Objective <a href="http://6.25">6.25</a>&nbsp;"Non-designated Areas of Biodiverse Importance: Cork City Council will seek to map the City's ecological networks and corridors of local biodiversity value outside designated areas and to work with local stakeholders in supporting the effective management of features which are important for wild flora and fauna and habitats." This is particularly welcome in the development plan. Local stakeholders could include a citizen science initiative&nbsp;set up by the City Council to engage locals to carry out under professional guidance the mapping of the biodiversity of local areas as mentioned above.

</p>

<p>

Objective <a href="http://6.26:">6.26:</a>&nbsp;We recognise the use of chemicals in the treatment of invasive species. However there is a lack of any reference in the plan to the necessary abandonment of the current use of chemicals on non invasive&nbsp;vegetation.

</p>

<p>

We call for the inclusion&nbsp;in the plan of a committment to abandon the spraying with chemicals of the base of trees in parks and public spaces, the spraying of kerb sides, edges of greens, etc and a statement to the effect that named alternative options are adopted.

</p>

<p>

&nbsp;

</p>

<p>

&nbsp;

</p>