Category Archives: News

News

Deliberations on the proposed Mackinnon boundary review for Cork City and County

I wrote the piece at the link below  in mid-June for the Carrigdhoun newspaper.  At the time, the Mackinnon-led “expert” committee had made their recommendation for a 35km-wide City jurisdiction, stretching from Ballincollig to Carrigtwohill, to include Blarney but to exclude Passage West.  The debate about this issue rumbles on and Mackinnon’s recommendations make no more sense to me now than they did two months ago.

The County Council has since offered areas closest to Cork City to the City Council.  These areas include the Strategic Land Reserve identified by the County for potential residential development.  The extent of the land offered is such that it would increase the City’s area by 85%, allow an immediate population increase of 31.2%, a potential population increase of up to 283,600 and would offer a residential density on a par with that in Dublin City .  Any feedback I have had from constituents on the County’s most recent offer has been positive; they say it makes far more sense to them than the City boundary proposed by Mackinnon.  (Apart from one constituent living in an area close to the City who very much wants no boundary change at all.)

Under Mackinnon’s recommendations, the Cork Harbour area would be split between City and County.  It has recently been suggested that I should be pushing for the entire of Cork Harbour to be included in the expanded City boundary.  I have in fact already written about this (in the article below), but believe that this oneness would best be achieved in the context of a merger of City and County:

19-06-2017 – boundary extension

Local area, News, Planning Submissions on behalf of Passage West/Monkstown Town Council

My submission to the M28 planning application

My submission to the M28 planning appplication is at the link below.  This is a TII/Cork County Council project.  We need vastly improved connectivity out of Ringaskiddy and if there is to be a motorway, that’s fine too.  But at least let it follow a route that will actually keep traffic free-flowing and won’t destroy people’s lives:

Submission to ABP, 18-08-2017

Local area, News

Will the M28 solve the Carrigaline/Passage West/Monkstown traffic woes?

Many people, particularly living in Carrigaline, hope that the planned M28 will solve the morning and evening commuter traffic woes.  But will it really?  In this week’s Carrigdhoun, I show how this hope has not been borne out by the planning application for the proposed motorway ….

Carrigdhoun 08-08-2017

Local area, News

My submission to the proposed apartment development in Pembroke Wood, Passage West

Today was the closing day for submissions to the proposed development of 24 apartments on a green space in Pembroke Wood, Passage West.  My submission is below.  I hope it shows how appallingly inappropriate I think this proposal:

Submission to CCC, 10-08-2017_2

Local area, News

Planning permission granted to Lidl in Douglas

Lidl has been granted planning permission to develop a store at Barry’s Field, Douglas.  The planning permission and conditions can be viewed here:

167137 Decision

Local area, News

Proposed apartment development at Pembroke Wood, Passage West

(Please note: the Design Statement submitted with the planning application has been added below today, 27-07-2017.)

A planning application has been made on behalf of Rowan Hill Developments to build 24 apartments (comprising 6 No. 1 bedroom units, 18 No. 2 bedroom units) over 3 storeys, 30 car parking spaces and all associated development works including access, landscaping, amenity areas, bicycle storage, services and refuse storage.

Although it was lodged with the County Council’s planning office on 7th July, the planning application is not available to view on the Planning Viewer app yet.  It is, however, available to view in the planning office of County Hall and I have scanned most of the drawings from it and put them here:
Planning application
Design statement

If you have concerns, it is important to lodge a submission with Cork County Council before 10th August.

  • Address your letter to the Planning Department, Cork County Council, County Hall, Cork.
  • Reference the planning application number: 17/5739 – Pembroke Wood, Passage West
  • Include your name and address
  • Include the submission fee of €20.

As of now, the planning application has not yet been validated by the County Council.  If the application is found not to be complete, it will be sent back to the applicant who will then need to relodge it.  At this stage, it will be assigned a new reference number.  Should this happen, I will let you know.  But in the meantime, if you have concerns it is important to convey them to the County Council.

This planning application was received by Cork County Council on 7th July.  By law, this date must be within two weeks of erection of the site notice.  If anyone has (preferably photographic) confirmation that the site notice was or was not in place since 24th June, please do let me know.

As a resident myself, I have will be submitting my deep concern that this proposal constitutes overdevelopment in this location.  If you have any queries, please get in touch.

Local area, News, Personal Submissions

My submission to the Further Information request on the proposed Ringaskiddy incinerator

An Bord Pleanála invited Indaver Ireland to submit Further Information on their planning application for a proposed incinerator in Ringaskiddy.

Specifically, the Board asked Indaver to address:

  1. “Possible discrepancies” in the dioxin modelling data
  2. The Department of Defence’s submission which stated that the incinerator would impact on helicopter navigation safety at the Haulbowline Island Naval Base.

Indaver submitted a number of reports in response to this Further Information: one from their air modelling expert, another from their dioxin modelling expert, one from an academic which peer-reviewed the work of the dioxin modelling expert, one from their aviation consultant, another from a new aviation consultant and a report on a site visit to a UK Naval Base with helicopter capability immediately adjacent to an operational incinerator.

Because this information was deemed to be significant, the Board threw it open to the public for their comments.  Today was the last day by which those comments would be received.

There have been some wonderfully competent submissions made by CHASE and others, the import of at least some of which will undoubtedly leak out over the next few weeks.  Below is a link to my own.  It poses deeply concerning questions about the air dispersion modelling carried out by Indaver to which I would dearly love – but will probably never get – answers.

Submission to ABP, 21-07-2017

Local area, News

Grange Road to Tramore Valley Park Pedestrian and Cycle Link including Bridge over the N40

Cork County Council intends to construct a pedestrian and cycle link fom the Grange Road, Douglas to the Tramore Valley Park.  The proposed 4 metre path is approximately 995 metres long and includes a bridge over the N40 South Ring Road.

There is an existing trail in the woords that starts to the west of Amberley Heights and finishes to the west of Alden Grove.  The proposed path will extend this trail to connect with the Grange Road to the south and with the Tramore Valley Park to the north from where the path will continue on through the park and into the city.

Submissions to the planning application can be made  until and including Friday, 7th July 2017.  Please direct them to the Senior Engineer, Cork County Council, Traffic and Transportation, Floor 10, County Hall, Cork.  There is no fee for making a submission.

The planning application documents and drawings are at the following links:
Grange Road to TVP – Update re Part 8 to Ballincollig Carrigaline Municipal District Members
Preliminary Design Report
Route Selection report
Part 8 Planning Drawings Final
EIA Screening with appendices