• Final step taken in the publication of a new County Development Plan 2022-2028.

Cork County Council has adopted the new Cork County Development Plan, the culmination of a 2-year statutory review process.  The new plan streamlines planning policy in the county by replacing not just the current County Development Plan, but also the 8 Municipal District Local Area Plans and the 9 former Town Council Plans, resulting in eighteen statutory planning documents becoming one. The new plan is also the first for the new administrative area of Cork County.  As well as providing full alignment between countywide strategic issues and local policies, the new streamlined format enables the County Development Plan to be more accessible to the public, combining all statutory planning policy.

Marking the official launch of the Plan, which was adopted on April 25^th and came into effect on June 6th, the Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Gillian Coughlan said:

The adoption of the Cork County Development Plan is a testament to the determination of the Elected Members and Executive of Cork County Council to deliver for the communities of Cork County. The Plan supports the creation of attractive and vibrant places to live, affording people the opportunity to live closer to where they work, revitalising our towns and villages while safeguarding our environment.

Prepared during challenging times, the Covid 19 pandemic required the Council to explore new ways of working while consulting with members of the public and stakeholders.  This included hosting on-line meetings, a public webinar and facilitating on-line submissions.

Commenting on the review process, Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey said:

Embarking on a Development Plan review is always a significant undertaking but doing so during a pandemic required us as a Council to really demonstrate our ability to adapt.  As people spend more time at home and in their local area it has become even more evident how important it is for everyone to understand the importance of having a say in the issues that shape their home and work environment.  This was evidenced in the significant levels of engagement with this plan, with three rounds of public consultation and over 3,000 submissions.  The public have made a hugely positive contribution to the blueprint for development of Cork County for the next 6 years.

Set out over six volumes, the County Development Plan covers a range of topics including Placemaking, Housing, Marine Spatial Planning, Water Services, Energy, Transport, Green Infrastructure, Cultural Heritage, Biodiversity and Climate Change as set out in Volume One Main Policy Material.  Volume Two lists the heritage assets of the County including the Record of Protected Structures.  Settlement specific information and zoning is contained in Volumes Three (North Cork), Four (South Cork) and Five (West Cork).  The Plan is also supported by a map browser, a user-friendly tool that displays the detailed maps of the Plan and facilitates spatial analysis.

Mayor Coughlan also highlighted how:

Cork Harbour and the wider Cork County economy are the engine for growth in our region.  I am confident that investors can view the Cork County Development Plan’s targets and commitments as a statement of intent.   It also clearly shows how Cork County Council will build upon the already strong foundation while driving growth in order to realise the full ambitions of the Cork economy and continued quality of life offering.

Full details of the County Development Plan, the Map browser, supporting documents and Environmental Assessments can be found on the Council’s website at www.corkcoco.ie/en/Cork-County-Development-Plan-2022-2028.

NOTES

County Development Plan Review Facts

• 18 Statutory Planning Documents replaced by 1
• Total number of submissions through the process: 3, 031
• Pre-draft stage: 608
• Draft Plan stage: 1,251
• Proposed Amendments stage: 1, 172
• 30 weeks of Public Consultation (including an additional 8 weeks due to Emergency Measures relating to the Covid 19 pandemic)
• There were 1,600 Proposed Amendments to the Draft Plan
• 68 Statutory Meetings with Elected Members of the Council

Six volumes of the Plan

1. Volume One – Main Policy Material
2. Volume Two – Heritage and Amenity
3. Volume Three – North Cork
4. Volume Four – South Cork
5. Volume Five – West Cork
6. Volume Six – Maps

• 3,526 pages over the six volumes
• Over 750,000 words
• 2,472 Objectives

Key Plan statistics

• Population growth of 59,170 for the six year plan period 2022-2028.
• 648ha of land zoned for residential and mixed use.
• Cork County has performed exceptionally well with population growth rates of 1.43% (10 year average annual rate from 2006-2016) and 1.78% over the 20 years from 1996-2016.
• Using the RSES Jobs target the following population increase for the plan period results in an overall growth of 35,502 Jobs. The Plan has an employment land bank of 2,044ha.
• In 2016 Cork County supported 118,1463 jobs (the city and county combined supported a total of 188,573 jobs, equivalent to 37% of the total jobs in the Southern Region).
• Over 2,800 structures on the Record of Protected Structures.
• Quality of Life offering in Cork is a significant asset.
• 1,100km of coastline
• 10 Blue Flag beaches, 2 Blue Flag marinas and 15 Green Coast Award beaches
• Midleton to Youghal – 23km of greenway to be completed in 2023, adding to the existing greenway network.
• €12m investment in active travel infrastructure in 2021.
• Lower average travel time for commuting workers

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