Cork City Council preparing business case for Docklands works
View of the Cork Docklands and how Kennedy Quay will look according to plans from O'Callaghan Properties.
Cork City Council is seeking economic and financial consultants to prepare the preliminary business plan for almost half a billion euro in key enabling works for the redevelopment of the Cork Docklands.
The long-mooted project is viewed as a key element of the region's and country's economic development. The aim of the regeneration project is to create capacity to accommodate approximately 20% of Cork City’s population growth up to 2040.
The project will see the development of new roads, bridges, flood defences, transportation systems and public amenities to service large-scale residential construction projects.
The Docklands project has been approved for €471m in funding for various enabling works including road upgrades, new parks, playing fields, new link roads and quayside amenities that are to be delivered by 2030. The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund is supplying 75% of this funding with the remainder to come from other exchequer sources and Cork City Council through development contributions and borrowing.
According to tender documents, the goals of the Preliminary Business Case include validating if the expenditure for all proposed projects constitutes value for money and setting out an approach to their implementation. It is expected that the various sub-projects within the Docklands will undergo separate final business cases before they can proceed.
According to the tender documents, Cork City Council will award the contract later this month with the winning contractor expected to submit the business case by 12 March 2024.
A separate process is underway to develop a Cork Docklands Framework Masterplan that will set out the sequencing of the various projects.
According to the tender, the North Docks project will see the realignment of Horgan's Road to allow for quayside amenities to be developed including a new public amenity park called Horgan’s Quay Park.
The South Quays Public Realm & Flood Protection project will provide approximately 1,200 metres of public realm space that will extend from Albert Quay in the west to Marina Promenade in the east. The flood protection design will extend the existing polder elevation at the Marina promenade towards the city and will also serve as a riverside greenway for cyclists and pedestrians.
The roads in the South Dock will also see a range of upgrades and enhancements that will include new link roads and connectors.
The tenders also state that three new bridges are planned for the Docklands. The long-mooted Eastern Gateway Bridge will connect from the Skew Bridge at Tivoli across the river to connect with Monahan Road close to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The Kent Station Bridge will be used for public transport to connect the South Docks with Kent Rail station and will also see the development a new link onto Centre Park Road.
The private sector is showing a willingness to support the redevelopment of Cork's docklands. Much of the city's North Docks near Kent Station have already been developed for significant new office space, much of it occupied.
Over the past year, developer O'Callaghan Properties (OCP) has received planning permission for two major developments close to the city centre. Last year it received approval for a €350m project to redevelop much of Kennedy Quay including plans for a 130-bed rehabilitation hospital, 450,000sq ft of offices and two apartment blocks.
Last month, OCP also received planning permission for the largest single residential development in Cork, 1,300 new homes at the Goulding’s site on Centre Park and Monahan roads.
Separately, work is continuing on the route design for a light rail LUAS system that would connect the Ballincollig suburb in the west to Mahon in the east via the city centre and the docklands.
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