Cork City to get taskforce aimed at improving investment and promoting the arts

The taskforce will provide recommendations to Government on the future development of Cork City, including improvements in foreign direct investment and local business development. Picture: Larry Cummins

A new taskforce for Cork City is to be approved by Government to improve foreign direct investment and to promote arts and culture on Leeside.

The taskforce will be approved by Cabinet on Wednesday, with EirGrid chairman Brendan Tuohy to be appointed as the independent chairperson.

Government sources have said a report from the new taskforce, with recommendations for the future, will be delivered before the end of June. 

The taskforce will be named the Cork City Futures Group. It will provide recommendations to Government on the future development of Cork City, including improvements in foreign direct investment and local business development.

Work will also be undertaken to examine how the city can improve its cultural offerings. It will review the existing Cork City action plan and identify any barriers to progress.

The board of the taskforce is to be made up of experts from business, academia, and the public sector.

'Key economic hub'

A government source said that, given Cork’s growing population, there is a need to ensure infrastructure keeps up with growth to retain the city’s role as a “key economic hub”.

A central part of the strategic vision for the city is the regeneration of the docklands, which is already underway.

The group comes amid consultations to choose the preferred route for the Cork Luas, with transport minister Darragh O’Brien promising the major transport project would begin construction before the Government’s term ends.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he wants the taskforce to particularly look at the needs of the city centre core.

“A lot of the plans that have been produced in this region have actually been realised,” Mr Martin said recently, adding that investment in the docklands is “roaring ahead”.

“One of the problems with cities is you get uneven development. A focus goes on to a particular geographical part of the city, and the other part gets neglected,” Mr Martin said.

“How do we create an overall vision for the city core in terms of this group, and what does it look like into the future? Then, what kind of projects come out of that, over and above what we’re already signed up to?”

The regeneration of Grand Parade and plans for the historic city centre library will be central objectives.

“How do we deal with the old south parish, the north parish? They could be very important in the future of the city from a residential perspective as well as everything else," Mr Martin added.

“That’s the bit I think that this future group could really focus in on." 

He added that getting a greater density of population into the core city centre is another question for the group, which would “underpin hospitality and underpin retail of the future”.