Chapter 6 I Green and Blue Infrastructure, Open Space and Biodiversity
Cork City GBI Objectives 2022-2028
6.7 This Plan sets out a series of objectives to manage, protect and enhance the City’s green and blue infrastructure network during the plan period and beyond, in line with the Cork City Green
and Blue Infrastructure Strategy set out above. These objectives are represented in the graphic and summarised in Table 6.2.
Cork City’s Green and Blue Infrastructure Objectives
The Water Environment To ensure Cork City’s green and blue infrastructure network is contributing to climate action and adaptation, the management of surface water and flood risk shall be consid- ered at the outset of the design process. All development proposals shall integrate areas with potential for natural flood alleviation into their design frameworks for the site. Biodiversity The biodiversity of Cork City encompasses all the natural elements in the city and their interaction with each other. New development can create biodiversity-rich green and blue infrastructure by retaining and enhancing existing trees, plants and providing new wildlife corridors, buffer zones, ‘stepping stones’ or green bridges. This creates connectivity for flora and fauna species and natural movement and migration through the green and blue infrastructure network. The ‘Biodiversity and the Natural Environment’ section below sets out in more detail how this important consideration will be addressed in Cork City. Landscape and the Harbour Cork City’s landscape and harbour area provide a unique visual resource, including important visual linkages to the natural and built environment. Changes in land use need to be managed to protect or enhance these links. New green and blue infrastructure should be used to thread through the existing landscape and harbour connecting the urban area to its wider rural hinterland. Tourism, Culture and Recreation Cork City’s green and blue infrastructure form key direct and indirect assets, promoting and facilitating tourism, cultural, recreational and leisure activities. • Cork’s maritime history, and in particular its relationship with the River Lee, informed the location and form of built and cultural heritage features and the blueprint of today’s City. • Cork City, as a gateway to the wider region and a destination, benefits from green and blue infrastructure forming the setting of the City and visitor attractions, contributing to the overall tourism offer of the City. • Cork City boasts a wide array of parks, walkways and open spaces. Cork City Council maintains a total of 607ha of these recreational and leisure assets. • Informal recreation is supported by more formal recreational green infrastructure facilities including golf-courses, playgrounds, multi-use games areas, skate parks and playing fields. In facilitating the growth of Cork City, there is a need to provide for the protection and enhancement of existing green and blue infrastructure facilities to successfully integrate them into an accessible network of recreational and leisure features.
Table 6.2: Cork City’s Green and Blue Infrastructure Objectives.
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Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 I Volume 1
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