SEA Environmental Report for the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
4.7
Population and Human Health
4.7.1 Population In 2016 Census, the total population of the area that is now under the administration of Cork City Council 26 was 210,853 persons, showing an increase since previous census by c. 5.1%. The population growth projections for the City are 257,852 persons by 2028 27 and 274,000-286,000 persons by 2031 (as set out by the NPF and the Southern Regional Spatial Economic Strategy). Cork City is the largest urban centre in the Southern region and it is recognised by the Regional Spatial Economic Strategy as one of five Metropolitan Areas in Ireland. Cork Metropolitan Area acts as an international location of scale, a complement to Dublin and a primary driver of economic and population growth in the Southern Region. The Plan designates different City Areas as follows:
City Centre;
Docklands (City Docks, Tivoli Docks);
City Suburbs (North East Suburb, North West Suburb, South East Suburb, South West Suburb); Urban Town (Ballincollig, Blarney, Glanmire, Tower); and City Hinterland. The new population provided for in the Draft Plan will interact with various environmental components. Potential interactions include: Increase in demand for wastewater treatment at the municipal level; Recreational and development pressure on habitats and landscapes; Increase in demand for water supply and associated potential impact of water abstraction from the rivers; Potential interactions in flood-sensitive areas; and Potential effects on water quality. 4.7.2 Human Health Human health has the potential to be impacted upon by environmental vectors (i.e. environmental components such as air, water or soil through which contaminants or pollutants, which have the potential to cause harm, can be transported so that they come into contact with human beings). Hazards or nuisances to human health can arise as a result of exposure to these vectors arising from incompatible adjacent land uses for example. These factors have been considered with regard to the description of: the baseline of each environmental component; and the identification and evaluation of the likely significant environmental effects of implementing the Plan. 4.7.3 Seveso III Sites The Chemicals Act (Control of Major Accident Hazards involving Dangerous Substances) Regulations 2015 (S.I. No. 209 of 2015) (the “COMAH Regulations”), implement the Seveso III Directive (2012/18/EU). The purpose of the COMAH Regulations is to lay down rules for the prevention of major accidents involving dangerous substances, and to seek to limit as far as possible the consequences for human health and the environment of such accidents, with the overall objective of providing a high level of protection in a consistent and effective manner. There are two categories of major accident establishments; Upper Tier and Lower Tier. These are defined based on the volume of the dangerous substances present. There are currently six Seveso sites located within the Cork City Council administrative area.
26 In 2019, the Cork City expanded to approx. five times its former size and the population of the City grew by c. 85,000. The Cork City boundary was expanded to include the areas of Douglas, Rochestown, Ballincollig, Tower, Blarney, Glanmire and Cork Airport. 27 Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
CAAS for Cork City Council
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