Cork GAA defends approach to failed Páirc Uí Chaoimh expansion plans

The council had advised Páirc Uí Chaoimh to take part in a third pre-planning meeting, prior to lodging the application on July 23.

Cork GAA has defended its decision not to act on Cork City Council's advice to engage in another pre-planning meeting before lodging its unsuccessful planning application for the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The council had advised Páirc Uí Chaoimh to take part in a third pre-planning meeting, prior to lodging the application on July 23.

In light of the scale of the proposed redevelopment, the council said it was "considered appropriate" that another pre-planning meeting take place, as just two had taken place prior to that, in November 2019 and January 2020. 

Páirc Uí Chaoimh was advised of this in what the board described as an "informal phone call" from City Hall shortly before lodging the application.

However, the GAA did not act on the advice. 

On Wednesday, Michael O'Flynn, who is on the board of directors of Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium and represented the GAA at pre-planning meetings, said there had been "several consultations between our professional team and the various departments [in City Hall]" in the run-up to the application being lodged.

The board has now issued an additional statement, saying it "fully and appropriately engaged with the local authority on all aspects of the application throughout the entire process".

While confirming that just two pre-planning meetings took place, it described them as significant, adding that engagement with the council "continued right up until the application was lodged".

The GAA board said that it had "spent considerable time securing a letter of consent from the council executive based on the proposal, to enable the application to be lodged”.

A letter of consent is part of the pre-planning process and gives the applicant permission to submit a planning application that includes council lands.

The board reiterated that it intends to appeal the council's decision to An Bord Pleanála. Mr O'Flynn said this appeal is due to be lodged next week.

The board said it "fully intends to comprehensively address all aspects of the refusal, as outlined by Cork City Council".

Key among the reasons for refusal were contentious plans to build two public car parks on publicly-owned lands that the council said would hamper its ability to deliver the new Marina Park. 

Moreover, the development would materially contravene an objective of Cork City Development Plan 2015-2021, which seeks to protect and retain land zoned as public open space for recreational use and amenity facilities. 

In addition, the proposed car park was "within an area identified as flood storage". 

The board did not submit a flood-impact assessment as part of its application. 

It previously expressed disappointment that the council did not request further information before making its decision.

Cork GAA spent circa €100m on the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, during a major revamp in 2017. 

Its latest proposals are for the reorganisation of internal spaces, a new tourist attraction, enhanced conference and hospitality facilities, including a new café and stadium-tour route, a children's playground at the Atlantic Pond, external works at the city and Blackrock entrances, a car park on the southern side of the stadium, accessed via Monahan Road, with separate public parking at the city entrance.