In support of Strategic Objective 9, Placemaking and Managing Development we request an additional Objective to adopt a Local Area Plan for the River Lee and adjacent parks, footpaths, cycle ways, quayside amenity areas and river frontage. The River Lee Placemaking Network provides a resource for facilitating community input to the process.
The River Lee must be the largest open space in the city at approximately 180 hectares and 17.7 kms in length. Combined with riverside green areas there is a single uninterrupted publicly owned/accessible open space of around 285 hectares right at the heart of the city. The waterfront public parks at Ballincollig, Lee Fields, Fitzgerald’s Park, Millennium Park, the Marina and their connecting walkways are a fantastic resource, all linked by the river. The Green and Blue Infrastructure Study carried out in support of the CDP is a welcome innovation by City Council.
The draft City Development Plan covers the period from 2022 – 2027 and looks further ahead to 2040 when the population of the city is set to almost double in size (Project Ireland 2040). Riverside land at City Docks is earmarked to accommodate 20% of this anticipated population growth (paragraph 10.25) and Tivoli a further 10% (equivalent to 12,800 people, paragraph 10.167).
The water recreation needs of this future riverside population will add to the increasing level of demand from the current population (see our earlier submission CRK-C155-DEV21-65). Restrictions in travel due to the COVID pandemic and the Olympic successes of Ireland’s rowers have drawn local people to the water. The inclusion of offshore rowing as an Olympic category in 2024 is likely to continue this level of interest. There is a notable increase in activity on the Corkumnavigation river route around the city centre as well as growth along the river in general in the use of kayaks, canoes, SUPs and river swimming.
Alongside the levels of demand, the Port of Cork’s move to Ringaskiddy brings the potential loss of access to the water through the craning-in of boats, kindly facilitated by Doyle’s Shipping for events such as Ocean to City and Dragon Boat Challenges. The City Marina has passed to private ownership and its future existence is not guaranteed. Additional infrastructure for accessing the water at City Docks and Tivoli will be essential. The north side is particularly poorly served. Recommissioning work on the Castleview Terrace slipway and ensuring river access is included at the graving dock on the Lower Glanmire Road could provide parts of the solution.
Like any natural resource the river is subject to conflicting demands from a variety of interests. Apart from recreation, water based transport, flood defences, proposed bridges at City Docks and upstream, the Lee to Sea cycle way, SUDs and storm water infrastructure and the impact of air, noise and light pollution have also to be taken into account.
A Local Area Plan for the River Lee would provide the framework to develop and manage this great city open space as an entity by taking account of:
- Blue Green Infrastructure, Open Space and Biodiversity including accessibility, recreation, tourism, biodiversity and economic benefits
- Transport and Mobility including bridges, slipways, jettys and pontoons for water based transport and recreation; Character Area Guidance for wildlife friendly lighting and street furniture
- River use and management to meet increased demand and balance potentially conflicting interests
- Land uses and flooding, flood protection works
- Built Heritage including the existing and proposed riverside Architectural Conservation Areas, maritime heritage, industrial and underwater archaeology
- The importance of preserving and protecting existing assets, historic quaysides, steps, slips and other access points, weirs and fish passes, riverbank wildlife corridors
- Environmental infrastructure
- The need to ensure that new developments don’t hinder the possibility of future water based activities
- Connections with the City Centre, City Docks and Tivoli Strategic Consolidation and Regeneration Areas
In a different context, an area based approach to planning over the last 50 years for a similar length of the River Lagan (17.7 kms) in County Down led to the formation and development of the Lagan Valley Regional Park which is now 2,116 hectares in extent.