Upgrade of transport and pedestrian links to 'forgotten part' of Cork City to begin in summer

A section of the road at Matthew Hill in the Lehenaghmore area where road, cycling and pedestrian links from Togher will be improved. File picture: Denis Minihane

Work on a long-awaited road upgrade to improve transport and pedestrian links to “a forgotten part” of Cork City should finally start this summer.

It follows confirmation that some €5.2m in funding has been allocated to the Lehenaghmore/Togher Road upgrade this year, marking a major step forward in a project which secured planning over four years ago.

The scheme is designed to improve the road, cycling and pedestrian links from Togher to the residential areas along the Lehenaghmore and Togher roads which have been developed in recent years, with several new estates including Matthew Hill, Coolkellure, Manor Park, and Aisling Court.

The land was previously in the jurisdiction of Cork County Council but became part of the city in 2019, following which plans for a new road with upgraded active travel infrastructure were prepared.

The project got Part 8 planning approval in 2021 but it involved a complex and protracted compulsory purchase process involving over 80 individual plots and 25 different landowners, with the CPOs only confirmed by An Bórd Pleanála last summer.

Gerry O’Beirne, the head of the city council’s director of services for infrastructure development, confirmed at the March meeting of the city council that this initial grant of €5.2m for this latest phase of the scheme will involve the procurement of a contractor and allow for the start of construction work.

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He said subject to the normal approvals, it is hoped the contractor will commence construction works in early July 2025. It will take at least a year for the work to be complete.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Fergal Dennehy said it is extremely dangerous to walk in this area at present as there are very few footpaths and public lighting. 

"It is a miracle that nobody has been seriously injured, or worse, to date. I had hoped the process would be further along by now, but I fully understand the complexities and subsequent delays caused by the CPO process. 

"If the latest timeline holds, beginning construction during the summertime would be particularly beneficial for local residents, as it would minimise disruption during the school term."