Fresh planning application lodged for Cork's Marina Market

New application will see access from Kennedy Quay closed off

The  Marina Market has become a popular destination in the city, employing over 300 people and attracting thousands of visitors each week. File picture: Eddie O'Hare

A fresh planning application has been lodged in a bid to resolve the issues at Cork’s Marina Market after the city council initially refused permission last year.

It’s understood that CPR Properties Cork is applying for permission for the change of use from warehouse or distribution use to a market and food emporium at the site on Centre Park Road in the city. The market has already been in operation without planning permission for some time.

The initial planning for the Marina Market was refused in November 2022, with council planners citing public safety on Kennedy Quay and the market’s proximity to a Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) site as key factors.

Among the observers to the original planning application was the Port of Cork company which had “significant safety and operational concerns for the port and its customers arising from the impacts of the existing unauthorised use that this application seeks to attain”.

Following the decision, the owners had four weeks to appeal to An Bord Pleanála. A detailed appeal was then submitted in December 2022, against the planning refusal, insisting the issues can be resolved with practical solutions on the ground. A decision was not expected before the middle of this year.

However, the application was then marked invalid leaving a planning uncertainty for the Marina Market. This fresh planning application represents a new bid to solve these issues. A key point of difference in this bid is that the current access at Kennedy Quay is proposed to be gated and closed to the general public.

It is also understood that the market owners plan to make a number of changes to the external layout of the market’s dining areas to ensure that they no longer fall within the COMAH zone of concern.

The Marina Market has been operating without planning permission since it opened in the former Southern Fruits Distribution Company Warehouse during the pandemic. File picture: Larry Cummins

This zone extends from the nearby Goulding’s fertiliser plant, to overlap part of the market site, an issue of concern highlighted by the Health and Safety Authority in its submission on the applicant’s previous planning application.

The application would also see a change of use from vacant warehouse/distribution use into a public gallery or recreation space. Car park spaces would be removed from Marina Walk while 44 bicycle spaces would also be provided.

More than 30,000 signatures were gathered for an online petition to save the market following Cork City Council’s initial refusal for permission.

Despite these planning issues, it has been business as usual at the Marina Market which has been operating without planning permission since it opened in the former Southern Fruits Distribution Company Warehouse during the pandemic. 

It has since expanded to become a popular destination in the city, employing over 300 people and attracting thousands of visitors each week.