[Leading Cork to take its place as a World Class City] __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Strategic & Economic Development Urban Regeneration and Development Fund
In 2021 Cork City Council was successful in the first stage of Ireland 2040’s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) application process in Cork City Docklands and the Grand Parade Quarter.
Cork City Docklands The Government has allocated €400 million to the regene ration of the Docklands and the Grand Parade Quarter. The central theme of URDF is ‘compact growth,’ one of the National Planning Framework’s (NPF’s) ten national strategic outcomes. In this context, the funding aims to facilitate a greater proportion of residential and commercial development, supported by infrastructure, services and amenities, within the existing built-up areas of Cork City. The regeneration of Cork City Docklands will provide jobs and homes to tens of thousands of people and make Cork a world class city to live and work in and supporting the Government’s ambition to develop the city as a true counterbalance to Dublin. The proposed URDF investment (€353.4 million) in transport, flood protection, drainage, sports and public realm infrastructure will transform the Docklands from an underutilised area of Cork City to a place of choice to live and invest. The area has capacity to provide homes for c.25,000 residents and c.29,000 jobs and has already benefited from significant investment in major private developments at Navigation Square, Penrose Dock and Horgan’s Quay. Delivery Office 2021 also saw the creation of a new Cork City Docklands Delivery Office by the Land Development Agency and Cork City Council which will progress the delivery of key infrastructure in the Docklands. It is envisaged that the unprecedented levels of Government funding and support, coupled with continued investor confidence, will provide the necessary mix of public and private investment required to deliver Cork Ci ty’s vision for the Docklands. Grand Parade Quarter The URDF will also contribute to further regeneration in the very heart of the medieval city – alongside the old city walls at the Grand Parade Quarter. In 2022, the City Council will be progressing with plans to develop a library that can facilitate up to one million visits and will also open up Bishop Lucey Park to the wider city as part of its redesign. The URDF support for the Grand Parade Quarter (€46.05 million) will regenerate the southern end of the Grand Parade. This includes the funding needed to develop Bishop Lucey Park, which was subject of an international architectural competition in 2019 / 2020. In addition, the funding will enable public realm works in Tuckey Street and South Main Street. It is proposed to develop the area with a mix of cultural activity, job creation and housing. The funding will also help progress plans to develop a new 7,700 square metres city library that will facilitate up to one million visits in this quarter. This quarter is adjacent to the site of the Events Centre, which will create a distinctive cultural offering in Cork City. Combined, these projects will give Cork a considerable lift and help achieve its ambitions to become a city of international scale. They will enhance its cultural and amenity offering, bolstering the attractiveness of the city as a place to live, visit and invest in. In 2021, the proposals for Bishop Lucey Park and the Beamish and Crawford/South Main Street and surrounding area were the subject of two separate Part 8 Planning applications that have been accepted by the City Council.
| 53
Powered by FlippingBook