Catherine Conlon: In a climate emergency, do we need a monument to economic growth in East Cork?

Plans for a retail village in Carrigtwohill fly in the face of everything we know about sustainability and quality urban living

An artist's impression of the Carrigtwohill 'Kildare Village' style retail outlet, plans for which are to be relaunched, a sign of the business-as-usual approach to maintaining economic growth targets that do not factor in impact on carbon emissions. 

Plans for a major retail village worth over €100m for East Cork are to be relaunched by the British company proposing the scheme.

Giles Membrey, managing director of Rioja Estates, has suggested that the scheme will be fantastic for the Cork area in terms of tourism, the cruise terminal and other attractions in the area. "We will have very little impact on Cork city centre, given the brands we have and the catchment profile."