Chapter 7
Economy and Employment
Issues / Recommendations / Observations
Sub. No.
Chief Executive’s Response & Recommendation
supported. Large scale anchor retail schemes should be supported throughout the plan, such as the immense value of the ongoing development of the Primark facility for inducing City Centre footfall and other similar projects should be proactively encouraged and facilitated. Likewise, the resurgent Mc Curtain Street and Victorian Quarter should support a medley of uses as this is core to its appeal. The City Centre plays multiple roles, each of which are complementary, and the plan should respect this with a contemporary approach to zoning. This thinking should not just be facilitated, but actively encouraged. It notes that Curraheen has potential for future development and with its proximity to Cork University Hospital, UCC and MTU it provides a logical location for further investment. The area will be serviced by a light rail option once the ambitions of CMATS are realised, and it is already served by the 208 bus and the 205, 220 and walkways nearby. The area is home to the Cork Science and Innovation Park where UCC are advancing plans for a new dental school and health innovation hub. The innovation hub can play a nationally significant role in a national innovation district strategy and is deserving of every support in the development plan. It can be a location for both third level and private sector investment and deepen the research and development partnerships which are so valuable to the tenacity of FDI investment. The Cork University Business School (CUBS) expansion into the heart of the city is another step in the ever-evolving economy of the city centre that will help cement Cork as a City of Learning. The City Development Plan should
and Mahon. Proposals are advancing to link these by Light Rail Transit in the long term. The City Council will consolidate the innovation ecosystem, with a view to ensuring the impacts of innovation are felt throughout the city.
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