SEA Environmental Report for the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
Objective 7.28 District Centres and Ballincollig Urban Town Centre To support the vitality and viability of District Centres and Ballincollig Urban Town Centre by enhancing their mixed-use nature and ensuring they provide an appropriate range of retail and non-retail functions appropriate to the needs of the communities they serve. In addition to retail, these centres must include community, cultural, civic, leisure, restaurants, bars and cafes, entertainment, employment and residential uses. In terms of retail, the emphasis should be on convenience and appropriate (lower order) comparison shopping, in order to protect the primacy of Cork City Centre. The development of District Centres at Ballyvolane, South Docklands and Hollyhill will also be supported to meet the day to day needs of their existing and or planned catchment populations. Objective 7.29 Blarney and Glanmire Town Centres To support, promote and protect the Urban Town Centres of Blarney and Glanmire, which play an important role in the local shopping role for residents and provide a range of essential day to day services and facilities. In order to support planned population growth in these centres, some additional retail development of an appropriate scale and size may be directed to these centres. Objective 7.30 Neighbourhood and Local Centres To support, promote and protect Neighbourhood and Local Centres which play an important role in the local shopping role for residents and provide a range of essential day to day services and facilities. It is also aimed to support and facilitate the designation of new Neighbourhood and Local Centres where significant additional population growth is planned or where a demonstrable gap in existing provision is identified, subject to the protection of residential amenities of the surrounding area and that they are adequately served by sustainable transport. Proposals should demonstrate the appropriateness of the site by means of a Sequential Test, demonstrate retail impact and provide for a mix of uses appropriate to the scale of the centre. Objective 7.31 Small Local Shops To support, promote and protect small local shops including corner shops which provide an important retail service at a local level. Any proposed new local shops should serve a local need only and be of a size and scale which would not be detrimental to the health of nearby centres defined within the retail hierarchy and subject to the protection of residential amenity. Objective 7.32 Retail Warehousing To improve the quality of retail warehouse / bulky goods floorspace, in accordance with the retail hierarchy and settlement strategy. Proposals for new retail ware-housing / bulky goods floorspace should be located within District Centres or large Urban Town Centres or other lands zoned for retail warehousing. The development of new out- of-town retail parks or accommodating retail warehouse uses within industrial estates / business parks will generally be discouraged. The range of goods sold in retail warehouses should be restricted to the sale of bulky house-hold items. The floorspace within retail warehouse / bulky goods units devoted to ‘ancillary products’ shall not exceed 20% of the total net retail floorspace of the relevant retail warehouse / bulky goods unit. Objective 7.34 Retail Impact Assessments All significant retail planning applications must be supported by a comprehensive Retail Impact Assessment as outlined in the Retail Planning Guidelines (2012). Cork City Council will determine the requirement to submit a Retail Impact Assessment prior to or during the determination of an application. Objective 7.35 Assessing New Retail Development Cork City Council will have regard to the Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012) and the accompanying Retail Design Manual in determining planning applications for retail development. Objective 7.36 Vacant Floor Space To encourage in the first instance that new retail floorspace be directed towards existing vacant units within existing designated centres. Cork City Council will seek to use its powers to tackle vacancy in the centres through active land management measures. Objective 7.37 Vibrant and Mixed-use Centres (a) To encourage a vibrant mix of uses, while retaining a healthy mix of retails uses within the designated centres and ensure they appropriately serve their population catchments. (b) To invest in and activate the public realm, while promoting accessibility and encouraging sustainable modes of transport as a means to travel to designated centres. This would encourage multi-purpose shopping, business and leisure trips as part of the same journey. (c) To support the independent retailing sector by continuing to provide financial support, skills training and education through the Local Enterprise Office and other means. (d) To encourage the development of the Night-time Economy, ensuring that centres are vibrant throughout the day and into the evening providing a variety of leisure and entertainment uses appropriate to their location and context (e) It is an objective to support and promote the use of on-street / outdoor markets in appropriate City Centre locations and the suburban District Centres and to pursue the development of a Market Strategy. Commentary The assessment of the Plan’s Economy and Employment provisions against Strategic Environmental Objectives (SEOs BFF, PHH, S, W, MA, A, C, CH and L) is consistent with the: Environmental effects detailed under subsections 8.2 to 8.7 of this report; and Assessments of the selected alternatives for the Plan provided at Section 7 of this report.
Implementing the Plan will help to direct incompatible development away from the most sensitive areas in the City and focus on directing: compact, sustainable development within and adjacent to the existing built-up footprint of the City, including its surrounding settlements; and sustainable development elsewhere. Development of areas within and adjacent to the existing built-up footprint, which are generally more robust, better serviced and better connected, will contribute towards environmental protection and sustainable development, including climate mitigation and adaptation. Compact development can be accompanied by placemaking initiatives to enable the City to become a more desirable place to live – so that it can sustainably accommodate new residents and maintain and improve services to existing and future communities. Compatible sustainable development in the City’s sensitive areas is also provided for, subject to various requirements relating to environmental protection and management being met.
CAAS for Cork City Council
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