Personal submission by Dr. Darren McAdam-O'Connell on the City Development Plan

Uimhir Thagarta Uathúil: 
CRK-C155-DEV21-394
Stádas: 
Submitted
Údar: 
Darren McAdam-O'Connell McAdam-O'Connell
Comhairliúchán: 
Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
Líon na ndoiciméad faoi cheangal: 
0
Teorainneacha Gafa ar an léarscáil: 
Níl
Údar: 
Darren McAdam-O'Connell McAdam-O'Connell

Litir Chumhdaigh

Personal Sumbission

Tuairimí

General overview

Caibidil: 
Volume 1 - Written Statement » 2. Core Strategy
Ábhair: 
15 Minute City

The General thrust, tone and content of the plan is to be highly commended the concentration on compact growth and a 15-minute City represent real progress and the chance for Cork to become a model for best practice in Urban Planning in Ireland and throughout Europe.

However, the details are not always adequate for achieving the ambition of the strategic goals. In particular the failure to identify more development land in the city centre and the consequent need to concentrate development in the suburbs threatens the commitment to compact growth and the move to higher densities and lower car parking minimums does not go quite enough to deliver on the promise of 15-minute cities.

Housing need in the city center

Caibidil: 
Volume 1 - Written Statement » 2. Core Strategy
Ábhair: 
Population and Housing Growth

The quality of planning and detail in this chapter is generally of a very high standard and I am supportive of the vast majority of objectives outlined in the chapter.

However, delivering only 7% of the required residential units in the city center as outline in table 10.2  is a key weakness of the overall plan.

I recognise this is because the City Council has only been able to identify 2ha of suitable development land in the city centre (table 10.3). I suggest that this requires an urgent reaudit of underutilised land within the city centre. A cursory desktop review of sites familiar to me within the city centre yielded almost 16 ha of underutilized land (4ha tier 1+2 & 12ha tier 3).

It is absolutely imperative for Cork city's ability to continue to attract mobile international talent and hence investment as well as for the housing needs of local people in the city centre that more residential development in the central area of the city is achieved then it's laid out in this plan.

Failure to do so will fatally undermind all of the other good work to date.

Proper definition of green space is needed

Caibidil: 
Volume 1 - Written Statement » 6. Green and Blue Infrastructure, Open Space and ...
Ábhair: 
Active recreation and open space

I am fully supportive of the intent of objective 6.20 to protect open space and green areas of amenity or conservation value.

However, I am worried that as it is currently worded this may be used to object to any infill development which impinges on small areas of waste ground of no amenity, natural or conservation value simply because they are covered by grass and therefore could be considered open Greenspace.

The objective needs to be rewritten two more tightly define which lands of amenity, conservation, heritage or other value should be protected but to include exclude small areas of waste ground which may be grass covered

City docks needs less parking and more housing

Caibidil: 
Volume 1 - Written Statement » 10. Key Growth Areas & Neighbourhood Development ...
Ábhair: 
City Docks

The detail and individual objectives within the city docks area plan or highly commendable and receive my full support.

However, the proposal to permit over 10,000 parking spaces within in the city docks would doom the development to just being just another car-dominated suburban-style space rather than the innovative urban centre which is imagined in the document. The number of car parking spaces needs to be dramatically reduced.

I am very supportive of the concept of mobility hubs but a mobility hub should not be a car-dominated space otherwise it will be perceived as a car park with some extra bells and whistles. The proposed 300 car parking spaces at each mobility hub must be reduced by at least 90% to produce mobility hubs where public and active travel along with micromobility received equal billing with car parking.

The majority of apartment residents in Cork city do not possess a car and do not use a car even when free parking is provided. The plan vastly overestimate the amount of parking which would be used by residents and workers in the area even if no encouragement to move from private cars towards active and public transport were present. Given that the vast majority of existing accommodation in the city has excessive car parking this area should be developed with minimal to no parking within the area.

The floor area ratios outlined in tables 10.3 and 10.4 are far below what is to be expected in an urban area which is not dominated by car parking and should be increased to reflect the vision of the plan this will also allow a very substantial increase in the number of new homes which can be accommodated in the development

Faisnéis

Uimhir Thagarta Uathúil: 
CRK-C155-DEV21-394
Stádas: 
Submitted
Dáta a cuireadh isteach: 
04.10.2021 - 15:47
Líon na ndoiciméad faoi cheangal: 
0
Teorainneacha Gafa ar an léarscáil: 
Níl
Comhairliúchán: 
Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028