This submission argues that, in the interests of the overall economic, social and environmentally sustainable development of the City, the provisions of the draft Plan must be amended to incorporate a clear objective in the Core Strategy that ensures that the economic aspects of development proposals are explicitly considered in the decision-making processes of the Council, alongside the social and environmental aspects.

In addition, the Core Strategy of the draft Plan must be amended to include a specific section on the economy, including employment targets for all areas of the City, based on the projected 31,000 jobs to 2028 set out in Chapter 7 of the draft Plan.

This submission also presents compelling evidence that the proposed parking standards for office development in the City Centre in particular, as set out in the draft Plan, are overly restrictive and imbalanced when considered against the existing and likely availability of public transport in Cork over the lifetime of the draft Plan, and disproportionately restrictive when compared to the car parking rates for offices in either the County or in the Dublin Local Authorities.