New unit to help deliver ambitious plans to transform Cork City's docklands area

The LDA is teaming up with the local authority to set up a Cork Docklands Delivery Office which will help facilitate the development programme

It is envisaged there will be a mix of housing and supporting public infrastructure in the Cork City Docklands alongside a range of building by private developers, on 146 hectares of land. Picture: Larry Cummins

Plans to transform Cork City's docklands area have moved a step closer after the Land Development Agency and the City Council announced they are partnering to help deliver the ambitious, 20-year project.

The agency which has only existed for two years is teaming up with the local authority to set up a Cork Docklands Delivery Office which will help facilitate the development programme. It is envisaged there will be a mix of housing and supporting public infrastructure alongside a range of building by private developers, on 146 hectares of land that would ultimately accommodate 25,000 people, a workforce, and a student population of 3,700.

The new office will have up to 12 employees and a project lead will be advertised in the coming days. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the Docklands development plan, which is the biggest regeneration project in the state, "will be a project of international significance", with Cork City Lord Mayor Joe Kavanagh saying "this is a major step forward in unlocking the potential of Cork City Docklands".

Cork City Council director of strategic economic development Fearghal Reidy said the Covid-19 pandemic should not stall the implementation of the plan.

"Yes, in the short term investors are looking at all options and the impact but I think in the long term investors will want to back places that are well-planned, resilient and attractive places to live in and work from," he said.

"Right now there is development in Cork City docklands and that is very evident when you see the skyline."

The scale of development is set to grow significantly, however, with a mix of housing alongside recreational spaces such as parks, schools and medical facilities and greater access to the River Lee as a social amenity, such as walkways and plazas.

Those behind the plan believe hundreds of millions of euro will be needed for the enabling infrastructure required, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks regarding funding from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.

Mr Reidy said: "We are hopeful [of the funding] and that's because the government aligned the National Planning Framework with the National Development Plan, and the docklands is mentioned in both."

He said a commitment to funding over a period of a decade would help deliver that strategic infrastructure, with development happening in the meantime.

He also admitted that compulsory purchase orders may be required, but would be used as a "last resort".

Land Development Agency head of property Phelim O'Neill said all stakeholders will be consulted, with hopes that the first new planning permission by a private developer will be sought next year. He said he hopes this will have a "domino effect" and cited areas such as Aarhus in Denmark as examples to follow.

"Confidence is everything," he said. "If you have the right circumstances and people who believe in the area, the location is second to none. All the constituent elements are there."