[ Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028, Section 15(2) Two-Year Progress Report ]
CITY CENTRE
[OBJECTIVE 10.1] STRATEGIC CITY CENTRE OBJECTIVES
Cork City Council has appointed a City Centre Coordinator and a Night-Time Economy Advisor to realise the potential of the city centre. Cork City responded strongly to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/2021, with public, private and community sectors coming together to implement a range of measures to support new opportunities for outdoor dining, socialisation and pedestrianisation. The range of measures undertaken in Cork City Council’s Reimaging Cork initiative further enhanced the city and firmly established Cork city and the city centre as a destination. Reimaging Cork outlines actions which will maintain the city centre as the vibrant heart of the region and continue to develop a city centre of high quality while ensuring that it aligns with, and supports, existing and emerging policy objectives. Cork City Council promotes events like Cork on a Fork, the 5-day food festival, which features new food experiences, food trails, tasting masterclasses, street events, talks, cooking demos, specials and family events. The city centre’s economy is strong, and several new commercial schemes will increase footfall in the city centre and in its vicinity. Cork City Council is examining the potential to provide affordable housing for key workers, aligned with sites in Council ownership. Cork City Council is looking at the opportunity vacant upper floors present for start-ups, and to provide an adaptable offer to growing firms. Cork City Council will consider the establishment of a Business Improvement District in the city centre to focus stakeholders on the level of opportunity on specific local levels.
[OBJECTIVE 10.2] LIVING IN THE CITY AND DERELICTION
The application of the Living City Initiative and derelict sites active land management is ongoing. Cork City Council is facilitating active land management through the Croí Cónaithe Scheme and continues to identify sites to prepare business cases for removal of dereliction. Between August 2022 and 31 March 2024, 15 Living City Initiative applications received final certification to claim tax relief on €1.6 million of refurbishment carried out in the special regeneration areas of Cork City. 22 new Living City Initiative applications were received in the same time period; of these, 13 have been approved, 6 are waiting on further information, and 3 are not proceeding. Between April and June 2024, a further 3 new applications have been received. Since the scheme began, 140 LCI applications have been received, and over €8.5 million of refurbishment has been completed.
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