cork docklands

@jungle wrote:

The docklands can be cleaned up though and it’s better to deal with it now than have the problem come back and bite us later.

In theory, a high density brownfield site should be exactly the type of development the Greens like, although I can’t help but notice that most greens I know live in rural areas and drive gas-guzzlers.

Regardless, it looks like they won’t be in government anyway.

I wonder if we have the same problem out at the pitches on the Carrigrohane Straight?

That is the problem jungle, the draft report hints at hiding the contamination instead of dealing with the issue, a shortsighted answer that will as you mention, “come back to bite us”
The same problem albeit on a much smaller scale exists on the site of the former landfill site on the Carrigrohane Road. However if litigation were to raise its ugly head there it would not be much of a problem to move a few pitches and our traveler cousins to a safer site.
No easy solution if we turn a blind eye to the dangers in the Billion Euro Docklands redevelopment.

Anyway I think it may be a little academic to speak of Docklands redevelopment at this point as after 7 years of junkets, millions spent on report after report, Port of Cork holding the city to ransom, the latest Brady Shipman Martin draft / report states that;

“Some existing land-uses, e.g. the oil storage facilities and the electricity generating station, may be expected to remain in the area for a considerable time to come and this may place a constraint on the scale, form, location and type of future development”

This statement along with the fact that designation as a Seveso site, means that some restrictions apply to proposed land uses in the surrounding area, as identified by the HSA. While each site will incur differing restrictions, generally, the closer a proposed development is located to a Seveso site, the more land use occupation and density restrictions will apply. New developments will be referred to the HSA within the following distances from a Seveso site:
• Topaz Energy Ltd Site 400m referral boundary
• NORA Slte:300m referral boundary
• Gouldings Fertiliser Site:700m referral boundary and HSA land use zones
High-density residential development is normally not permitted in areas immediately adjoining Seveso sites.

As these sites themselves are considerable in size, particularly the Gouldings and ESB sites any development is likely to be piecemeal.
The only way around this problem again entails a long drawn out process of dealing with redevelopment on a “mini site” by “mini site” basis, where very limited amounts of contaminated soil can be removed from site without licence

various people seem to have access to extracts of the new South Docklands Area Plan, would anyone have a link to it yet? I assume its not yet on general release.

Report in today’s Examiner re the Docklands.

Officials reveal plans for multi-billion regeneration of Cork’s south docks
By Eoin English
THOUSANDS of spacious luxury apartments aimed at families will be built in Cork’s multi-billion south docks regeneration project, city officials have revealed.

So-called ‘shoe-box’ apartments have been banned and city planners have set generous apartment floor-space guidelines for developers in a bid to attract families back to live in the city centre.

The guidelines are contained in the city’s ambitious draft south docks Local Area Plan (LAP) — a detailed development blueprint for the area which was agreed by city council on Monday.

It aims to transform the south docks into one of the most attractive urban waterfront quarters in Europe with thousands of residential apartments ranging in height from five to seven storeys, and including four soaring landmark towers — one of which will be 22 storeys high at the Marina.

The LAP wants to see the construction of 10,000 homes and apartments, has set a target population of 20,000 and a working population of 25,000 in the region by 2027.

To help achieve this, planners have set down guidelines for apartment sizes that are substantially bigger than the Government’s minimum requirements.

The apartments will range from one bedroom dwellings for two people, to four bedroom dwellings for seven people, with a range of options in between.

Pat Ledwidge, the director of the city council’s Docklands Directorate, said this move was designed to make the apartments more attractive for families.

“We felt that if we wanted to encourage families to live in the docklands, we needed to have adequate living quarters,” he said.

“The apartments will also have generous storage space which has often been a problem area for apartments in the past,” he said.

And two massive planning applications for sites in the docks are to be lodged within weeks.

Property developers Howard Holdings and landowners the Tedcastle Group are expected to seek planning permission in August for a joint project to transform 30 acres of land near Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Their project for a site three times the size of Croke Park, includes offices, residential and retail developments and a 200-bedroom hotel.

http://www.corkcity.ie/docklands/planning/southdocks.shtml

link to the south docks plan, submissions to be made by 24 aug 2007, prob the one and only chance to have your say to the local council so get cracking! I’ll be mooting things like, start and finish the movement of kent station, integrate the intercity buses into that station, have integrated ticketing for all transport, have ferries collecting and dropping off up and down harbour pulling into monkstown, cobh, crosshaven,have half decent looking waterfront apartments etc etc

Irish Examiner report re the Port of Cork’s container facilities moving from Tivoli. Anyone know if the vacated land will be designated industrial or residential?

Final plans for €160m port facility on display
By Eoin English

THE Port of Cork will unveil the final plans today for its massive €160 million container facility planned for Ringaskiddy. Port officials said last night that they have addressed several concerns about traffic, noise and visual impact which were raised by the public during the first round of public consultations last December.

They and representatives from their consultants, RPS Consulting Engineers, will outline later today several mitigation measures they intend to take to deal with those issues.

A draft Environmental Impact Statement on the massive project at Oyster Bank — which includes the reclamation of almost 18 hectares of land — will also be on display.

The massive project is being dealt with by the State’s Strategic Infrastructure Bill designed to fast-track major infrastructural projects.

Port officials are due to meet with that body within the coming weeks to finalise their planning application, which could be lodged within two months.

A final decision could be made by the middle of next year, depending on the outcome of public hearings.

The proposed new facility will replace the port’s city-based Tivoli Docks container facility.

With a capacity for 180,000 units, it handled 155,000 container units and port traffic is still growing.

The new container terminal, together with a multi-purpose roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) berth, will be able to handle twice the volume of Tivoli.

Work is expected to be carried out in two phases — phase one will cater for 300,000 container units. Phase two will complete the facility allowing it to cater for 600,000 units.

The port also has plans to build a new €70m bulks facility at the nearby ADM jetty.

The plans for the port’s move downstream were first proposed in 2002, as part of the Port of Cork’s Strategic Development Plan.

Today’s public consultation sessions will take place at the Ringaskiddy Ferry Terminal between 11am and 2pm and again between 5pm and 8pm.

And if Tivoli is residential, will it be a designated ‘high rise’ area?

quote from rte: The power generating stations at Great Island in Wexford, Poolbeg in Dublin and Tarbert in Kerry are to close. The steam turbine at Marina in Cork is also to close but the larger gas turbine there will remain open.

looks like that site is staying industrial for the forseeable future…

@Spinal Tap wrote:

Yes in Cork thats a maximum Height of 3-Stories !

That’s cool. We have very tall stories in Cork.. 😉

I was looking at purchasing an apartment in the block on the hill behind Tivoli (they all feature great balconies overlooking what’s now the docks & river), but wondered how attractive they’d be if the container area was built up and blocked the view of the river. Little did I think it might happen so soon.

If they tore down the Aghada power plant instead of one of the others – its a magnificent site for a hotel.

A few ideas for the docklands:

http://ireland.archiseek.com/news/2007/000190.html

http://www.newislington.co.uk/tuttifrutti/