Executive Summary
fostering a vibrant, welcoming, and inclusive place for living, working, learning, shopping, visiting, socializing, and aging together. Section 4 details site-specific and non-site-specific projects to achieve this vision. Site-specific projects include three building improvements: Weighmaster’s House, John Redmond Street buildings, and the Legion of Mary building. Public realm and green space projects focus on enhancing Shandon Street’s pedestrian environment, improving the historic east-west spine of Church Street, Exchange Street, and John Redmond Street, and revitalizing St. Anne’s and Dr. Mary Hearn’s Memorial Parks. Proposed improvements for accessibility and safety include enhancing key laneway links from Pope’s Quay, improving wayfinding along Devonshire and Dominick Street, and greening and parking consolidation along Old Market Place. Smaller projects include a pocket park on Eason’s Hill and a mural on the Heineken wall on Lower John Street. Non-site specific projects involve guidance and strategies to: • protect and enhance the area’s historic character; • establish a new mobility strategy for pedestrians and vehicles, and; • set out measures to address illegal and inappropriate parking. Section 5 outlines an intervention and phasing plan for the projects identifying indicative time frames, ownership, delivery mechanisms, and potential project partners, with Cork City Council playing a crucial role in facilitating investment. Despite significant challenges, the opportunities for Shandon are immense. The Integrated Urban Strategy is expected to catalyse regeneration, helping achieve the community’s visions and aspirations over the coming years.
Welcome to the Integrated Urban Strategy for Shandon. This is an ambitious heritage and community-led Integrated Urban Strategy (IUS) for the Shandon Area, which is progressed under the Government’s Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme (THRIVE). THRIVE is co funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union Through the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027. In line with the guidance set out in the “Town Centre First – Approach for Irish Towns” and the THRIVE guidelines, the strategy will set out a visual, action-based roadmap for the future development and revitalisation of this historic neighbourhood. Our strategy addresses complex urban challenges by uniting stakeholders, including the community, businesses, and council departments, to ensure environmentally sustainable, economically focussed and socially inclusive development which aligns with New European Bauhaus principles and values of sustainability, inclusivity and beauty. Section 2 provides a baseline analysis of Shandon that is informed by the feedback/insight generated by a ‘Let’s Talk Shandon’ engagement process and reinforces the policy objectives of the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028. Highlighted challenges included maintaining historic buildings, improving laneway safety, revitalising the social and commercial potential of Shandon Street, attracting and maintaining visitors in the area, and managing the impact of motor vehicles on the historic street network. Section 3 outlines a vision statement, aims, and objectives to guide the actions and projects emerging from the IUS. The vision is for Shandon to be a neighbourhood that cherishes its heritage, cultural dynamism, and community bonds,
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