Monard oral hearing: Day One - Revised plans to build new Cork town

For the second time in three years, An Bord Pleanála is examining controversial plans for a proposed new town with over 5,300 houses which Cork County Council seeks to develop 6km north of Cork City.

The council has put forward revised plans for the new project in townlands around Monard, near Blarney, for which permission had been previously refused by the planning appeals’ body in 2012.

Senior council planner Nicholas Mansergh told the hearing yesterday, in the Metropole Hotel in Cork, the town’s location would promote sustainable travel as a €4m commuter railway station could be built on the site, adjacent to the Cork-Mallow rail line.

He said Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) had agreed to a location for a junction which would connect Monard with the proposed new Northern Ring Road. However, no timeframe for building the ring road had been announced by TII. Meanwhile, bus services to Monard would only come on stream after 4,000 houses are built.

Mr Mansergh said Irish Water was “broadly in agreement” that sewerage from the town would ultimately be pumped to Carrigrennan, Little Island, while drinking water would be brought in from a reservoir at Churchfield, on the northern side of the city.

One of the reasons Bord Pleanála refused permission three years ago was lack of housing density, allied to uncertainty about road and rail connections.

Mr Mansergh said density was being increased on the proposed sites.

The council aims to build a town centre surrounded by four village areas, a number of schools, creches, retail units, playgrounds and sporting/amenity facilities.

Bord Pleanála inspector Robert Speer heard Mr Mansergh say he had met with Rathpeacon NS management, the closest existing school to the Monard site, and the Department of Education to provide assurances it would not become overloaded by the development.

Further schools will be built to cater for children in line with the town’s growth which should be completed within 25 years.

Meanwhile, Monard Concerned Residents Group’s (MCRG) Tim Butter said the proposed town was contrary to proper planning and sustainable development for a number of reasons.

He played videos of the narrow local road network, maintaining it could not cope with additional traffic, and further claimed road safety concerns had not been taken into account.

The MCRG representative questioned the topography of the site saying it would discourage walking and cycling, and also expressed concern Iarnród Éireann might want to build a station elsewhere, probably at Blarney where there was a larger population.

Mr Butter said even if a station was put in Monard it would not be operational until 1,000 homes were built and local roads would be gridlocked by then. It was also pointed out bats along with other fauna and flora in the area would be disturbed.

A group representing businesses in Blackpool also expressed concern about their area being at increased flood risk from the upstream Monard development.