SEA Environmental Report for the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
successful in enhancing the existing wide range of neighbourhoods and towns to create a vibrant city of neighbourhoods. This scenario also primarily focuses on delivering higher density living, requiring an immediate and significant shift away from current average housing densities delivered in Cork City over the last 20 years. Having carried out a spatial assessment of the implications of the Plan that would be provided for by Alternative 3 “Compact Liveable Growth Scenario” , taking account of the higher-level NPF and Southern RSES objectives and the need to comply with the densities set out in Ministerial Guidelines, including those related to the Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (2009) and Urban Development and Building Heights (2018), the Council confirm that Alternative 3 “Compact Liveable Growth Scenario” as applied, would contribute towards proper planning, environmental protection and management and sustainable development more than Alternatives 1 and 3. The scenario achieves compact growth by primarily focusing future development within strategic sites, such as City Docks, sites located within the rich existing network of neighbourhoods, urban towns and hinterland settlements in the city and a number of expansion sites adjoining the city. The scenario focuses on developing areas accessible to frequent public transport services, delivering a range of increased densities that justify the delivery of an LRT, BusConnects routes and the Greenways as set out in CMATS. The compact nature of growth proposed also helps mitigate potential impacts in terms of climate change, green and blue infrastructure management and the reduced need for new physical and social infrastructure. This scenario is successful in enhancing the existing wide range of neighbourhoods and towns to create a vibrant city of neighbourhoods. The increased densities proposed in this scenario are challenging, requiring a stepped shift away from current average housing densities delivered in Cork City over the last 20 years. The selected alternative for the Draft Plan is Alternative 3 “Compact Liveable Growth Scenario” .
CAAS for Cork City Council
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