Umbrella group backs Port of Cork’s plan for €100m terminal upgrade

An umbrella organisation which represents more than 1,800 community groups has put its weight behind the Port of Cork’s plans for a €100m upgrade of its deepwater terminal at Ringaskiddy.

The planning application is still being considered by An Bord Pleanála but, in the meantime, Cork Community & Voluntary Forum says the project must get the green light and called on the Government to commit money to upgrading the Cork-Ringaskiddy road. Chairman Finbarr Harrington said the current road serving Ringaskiddy remained an obstacle to the port’s plans.

In 2008, An Bord Pleanála rejected a similar port plan, saying that, in their current state, the N28 (Cork-Ringa-skiddy road) and the Jack Lynch Tunnel could not handle the increased HGV traffic that a major enlargement of cargo-handling facilities at Ringaskiddy would bring.