Cork council unveils plan to make city healthier, safer and more inclusive

Council wants to ensure views of 'seldom heard and under-represented communities' are catered for, including lone parents, Travellers, asylum seekers and people experiencing barriers based on disability, age, and carer status

Plan centred around themes such as making Cork a city 'valuing health and wellbeing', a city 'built on partnership, inclusion and equality', and a city of 'learning and culture'. Picture: Denis Scannell

Cork City Council is enlisting consultants to develop grand plans through to 2029 to create a healthier, safer and more inclusive city.

The council said its new Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) for 2023 to 2029 is the “primary mechanism” at local level to transfer actions arising from EU, national, regional and local strategies and policies to a Cork City context.

The plan is still in its initial stages, and Cork City Council is enlisting the consultants to bring it through public consultation, through the development of objectives and outcomes, through to the finalisation of the plan being submitted to the minister for local government and published by the council.

“The process of developing this plan is centred around providing ample opportunities for contributions and responses from people and communities across the city,” it said.

It is centred around themes such as making Cork a city “valuing health and wellbeing”, a city “built on partnership, inclusion and equality”, and a city of “learning and culture”.

The consultants must identify gaps in provision and services related to economic and community development to the public, along with potential approaches to address these gaps.

“[They must] identify existing resources and services delivered by external parties that can supplement and compliment provision by Cork City Council,” it said. 

“[And] consider how the LECP can accelerate climate action across the community and voluntary sector and the economic sector of Cork City.” 

To be inclusive, the consultant must identify tailored approaches to ensure the views of those “seldom heard and under-represented communities” are catered for, including lone parents, Travellers, asylum seekers and people experiencing barriers based on disability, age, and carer status.

It said this process was first introduced in 2015 and gives local authorities such as those in Cork a greater role in developing the local community and economy, away from the planning at central Government level.

“It is the intention of the city council to establish what the key issues and opportunities are and what matters most to the people of Cork City,” it said.

The council added it wanted this work to be completed by the end of this year.