Chapter 7
Economy and Employment
Main points
- We support the consideration of mobility given to commercial development and employment centres
- We support the clear preference given to public and active transport in the planning of commercial development and employment centres.
- We support preference shown towards location large office developments in the city centre docklands and district centres and have suggested slight modification/strengthening of the objectives referring to large office developments and strategic employment zones to make this clearer.
Mobility Management
We feel that mobility management plans are an important tool in ensuring that we achieve compact growth, the strategic objectives outlined in chapter 1 and the vision for a 15-minute City.
We therefore strongly support objective 7.8
Objective 7.8
Mobility Management Plans
In addition to traffic impact assessments, Cork City Council will encourage all planning applications for new employment uses, or extensions to existing commercial premises, for 100 or more employees to prepare mobility management plans which promote and prioritise the use of more sustainable transport modes.
We request that consideration is given to lowering the criteria for drawing up mobility management plans from 100 to 50 employees
We also request that another objective is inserted objective 7.x
There will be presumption against developments providing free or subsidised parking for staff or customers, except for disabled parking and loading bays.
The subsidization of parking by businesses is paid for by everybody not just those who drive and incentivises driving as the cost is borne by everybody not just those driving and is in conflict with the strategic objective outlined in chapter 1.
Strategic employment zones
There needs to be a general assumption that retail, general office accommodation, call centres etc the located in the centre of dense walkable neighbourhoods such as the city centre, the Docklands but also in the district centres outlined in this plan. We welcome that this is clearly envisioned in the draft plan and suggest a slight strengthening in the flowing objectives to ensure this overall objective is reached.
The core goal of the Cork transport and mobility forum is enabling people to travel in a way that is more sustainable and has less of a negative impact on their health and quality of life. This is to a large degree dependent on enabling people to switch from private motor vehicles to public and active transport. But it is also so about ensuring that people do not have to travel excessive distances to meet their everyday needs. Improving mobility is not about increasing the number of kilometres people can travel easily rather it is about minimising the number of kilometres you need to travel to make all the journeys you desire. By bringing trip generators closer together and improving permeability people can make more trips per day living more fulfilling and productive lives at the same time as spending less time and resources on travel.
The key determinant of this vision of improved mobility, which is well supported throughout this draft plan, comes to pass is not any dedicated transport intervention but rather ensuring homes and services are built closer together. This requires ensuring that commercial developments which have a high density of customers or employees visiting the site are located in mixed-use communities not in low density or purely commercial zones together with light industry or distribution hubs which have an inherently low density of employment and trip generation but rather in compact mixed-use communities together with homes services and amenities.
The proposed light industrial zones are highly appropriate for light industry, distribution and other commercial uses which have a low density of trip generation or hazardous noxious or are otherwise unsuitable for locating together with residential, service and amenity developments or where the majority of trips generated require the use of heavier vehicles such as HGVs, light trucks or vans.
An exception to this is large campuses which are of a scale too large to be accommodated within mixed-use developments these should be by located within the city centre or Docklands if they are of sufficient density and a suitable site can be identified otherwise they should be subject to a separate more stringent Mobility Management Plan than that outlined in objective 7.8 and located on a key public transport route preferably a rail line or the route of the proposed light rail scheme.
The following objectives need modified to reflect this
Objective 7.10
New Strategic
Employment Sites
Existing text
Objective 7.10
New Strategic
Employment Sites
To support the sustainable delivery of high quality employment facilities taking into account other Development Plan objectives relating to zoning, transport and movement, urban design and placemaking, climate action, environmental management and sustainability, biodiversity, protecting cultural and built heritage and taking into account site specific objectives below:
a. Blarney Business Park Extension: To provide for a high-quality extension to Blarney Business Park using the existing access to the Park. Any proposed development needs to safeguard the M/N20 (navy) route option which traverses part of the land until such time as a preferred route is chosen and the requirement lapses if the navy route is not identified as the preferred route.
b. Clogheen Business Park Extension: To provide for a high-quality extension to the business park where care is needed to preserve the residential amenity of nearby residential properties.
c. Land at Ballyvolane: To provide for a high-quality employment scheme that integrates with wider development, specifically the Ballyvolane expansion area to the south.
d. Land at Glanmire: To provide for a high quality employment development that will primarily service logistics or logistics related uses. No more than 30% of the zoned land shall be developed for non logistics related employment uses.
e. Land at South Link Industrial Estate: To provide for a natural extension to the existing industrial estate where, owing to the proposed intensification of use, an alternative access strategy through the industrial estate should be prioritised.
f. Land at Fairhill: To provide for a high quality light industrial development scheme that is accessed from Upper Fairhill and suitably responds to the site topography, the site’s frontage onto Nash’s Boreen and the need to protect residential amenity of nearby residential priorities.
g. Land at Hollyhill: To provide for a high quality business and technology scheme capable of accommodating expansion and other strategic investment in a manner that seeks to protect the surrounding landscape setting.
Suggested Strengthening
Objective 7.10
New Strategic Employment Sites
To support the sustainable delivery of high-quality employment facilities for light industry, distribution and other commercial uses which have a low density of trip generation or hazardous noxious or are otherwise unsuitable for locating together with residential, service and amenity developments or where the majority of trips generated require the use of heavier vehicles such as HGVs, light trucks or vans. There will be presumption against development of general office space, call centres, retail and other high density commercial uses which can be accommodated in mix use communities. Taking into account other Development Plan objectives relating to zoning, transport and movement, urban design and placemaking, climate action, environmental management and sustainability, biodiversity, protecting cultural and built heritage and taking into account site specific objectives below:
a. Blarney Business Park Extension: To provide for a high-quality extension to Blarney Business Park using the existing access to the Park. Any proposed development needs to safeguard the M/N20 (navy) route option which traverses part of the land until such time as a preferred route is chosen and the requirement lapses if the navy route is not identified as the preferred route.
b. Clogheen Business Park Extension: To provide for a high-quality extension to the business park where care is needed to preserve the residential amenity of nearby residential properties.
c. Land at Ballyvolane: To provide for a high-quality employment scheme that integrates with wider development, specifically the Ballyvolane expansion area to the south.
d. Land at Glanmire: To provide for a high quality employment development that will primarily service logistics or logistics related uses. No more than 30% of the zoned land shall be developed for non logistics related employment uses.
e. Land at South Link Industrial Estate: To provide for a natural extension to the existing industrial estate where, owing to the proposed intensification of use, an alternative access strategy through the industrial estate should be prioritised.
f. Land at Fairhill: To provide for a high quality light industrial development scheme that is accessed from Upper Fairhill and suitably responds to the site topography, the site’s frontage onto Nash’s Boreen and the need to protect residential amenity of nearby residential priorities.
g. Land at Hollyhill: To provide for a high quality business and technology scheme capable of accommodating expansion and other strategic investment in a manner that seeks to protect the surrounding landscape setting.
Objective 7.13
Suburban General Offices
Existing text
Objective 7.13
Suburban General Offices
a. General offices units over 1,000 sqm will be open for consideration in suburban Business and Technology Zones, with due consideration given to the employment strategy, availability of alternative suitable sites in the City Centre and adjoining mixed use areas in Docklands, and assessment of the potential impact of the development on the City Centre. Availability of high-quality public transport will also be a factor in determining the capacity of these locations to take more intensive office development.
b. General offices will be open for consideration in District Centres provided each office unit is in excess of 1,000 sqm and the total area of offices is appropriate to the scale of the individual centre, subject to a general maximum of 20,000 sqm of offices in any one centre.
Suggested Strengthening
Objective 7.13
Suburban General Offices
a. General offices units over 10,000 sqm will be open for consideration in suburban Business and Technology Zones, with due consideration given to the employment strategy, availability of alternative suitable sites in the City Centre and adjoining mixed use areas in Docklands, and assessment of the potential impact of the development on the City Centre. Such developments will be required to demonstrate in their mobility management plan how employees will be able to travel by public or active transport must not prove free or subsidised employee parking. Availability of high-quality and capacity public and active transport links will also be a factor in determining the capacity of these locations to take more intensive office development.
b. General offices will be open for consideration in District Centres provided each office unit is in excess of 1,000 sqm and the total area of offices is appropriate to the scale of the individual centre, subject to a general maximum of 20,000 sqm of offices in any one centre.