7. Allotments and community gardens are provided to meet the needs of the community. 8. Open spaces are designed to maximise their biodiversity potential so that people have access to nature close to where they live. 9. Streets within the City fulfil their potential for placemaking, sustainable urban drainage, biodiversity, and carbon offset as well as movement corridors. 10. Cork City’s open space and recreational assets are managed effectively, efficiently and smartly so that the maximum benefit for all in the common good can be gained from them, given finite space within the city and the finite monetary resources available.
Open Space Strategy
6.48 Cork City Council will prepare an Open Space Strategy to guide improvements to the open space network and prioritise investment decisions in order to ensure that Cork City offers equality of access to high quality open spaces for all of its neighbourhoods, as well as large city parks that serve multiple recreational needs. All open spaces form part of the wider green infrastructure, and parks and open spaces provide connectivity for biodiversity, woodlands, river corridors and floodplains, habitats, greenways and ecological networks, as well as functional passive and active recreational infrastructure and focal points for communities. 6.49 The two key input studies that have been prepared to inform the Open Space Strategy are the Cork City Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy (referred to above in this Chapter), and the Cork City Active Recreational Infrastructure Study. Additional inputs will be required as part of the Open Space Strategy, including a play strategy, an allotments and community gardens strategy, cemeteries strategy and a tree strategy. 6.50 The Open Space Strategy will aim to ensure that: 1. Cork City has a well-balanced provision of parks and larger open spaces to provide focal points for the city and its constituent neighbourhoods, with each park accommodating a range of activities suited to its context and purpose. 2. All areas of the City have an appropriate provision of local public amenity space and facilities to enable people of all ages to recreate, meet, enjoy and enable a healthy lifestyle. 3. Play provision meets the needs of all age groups to best practice standards in terms of quantity, quality and accessibility. 4. Playing pitch and active sports infrastructure meets the needs of Cork City’s population. 5. Flood waters are stored within Cork’s parks and open spaces. 6. Cork’s open space are effectively integrated into their green and blue infrastructure and biodiversity networks.
Active Recreational Infrastructure Study
6.51 Cork City Council has commissioned an Active Recreational Infrastructure Study to complete a survey, audit and assessment, and to provide guidance on: • Strategic gaps in sporting provision. • Deficits in infrastructure provision to meet the needs of the City. • Active Recreational Infrastructure requirements to serve Cork City and its target growth to 2040. • Water-based recreational infrastructure needs. • Development Standards to guide requirements of planning applications. 6.52 The Development Plan will be updated to incorporate the outcome of the Active Recreational Infrastruc- ture Study with regard to the following objectives: • Land use zonings
• Outdoor sports infrastructure projects • Indoor sports infrastructure projects • Water-based recreation projects • Development Standards
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Cork City Draft Development Plan 2022-2028
Volume 1 I Chapter 6
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