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North Docks Local Area Plan

The North Docks Local Area Plan was adopted by the City Council on the 12th December 2005. This final Plan replaces the draft plan that went on public consultation in 2005 and takes account of the submissions made by key stakeholders and members of the public.

Left to right: Kevin Terry (Director of Service & City Manager, Planning & Development) Lord Mayor, Deirdre Clune, City Manager, Joe Gavin, Ann Bogan (Senior Planner Planning Policy) and Jeremy Ward (A/Senior Executive Planner).

The North Docks Local Area Plan (LAP) sets out a vision for a new urban quarter in Cork which focuses on the River Lee, Lower Glanmire Road and Kent Station. The plan area extends from Brian Boru Street in the west to Water Street/Castleview Terrace in the east. It includes the railway station and surrounding lands adjacent to Horgans Quay, as well as residential/commercial areas along the Lower Glanmire Road.

The Plan’s vision for the North Docks area remains broadly similar to that established in the Cork Docklands Development Strategy 2001: the creation of a new urban quarter based upon best practice in planning, urban design and sustainable development built on the unique character of Cork and the dramatic setting of the Docklands. This Local Area Plan provides more detailed guidance to help realise that vision.

The North Docks LAP area occupies an important strategic position in the City as its re-development is crucial to unlocking the wider development strategy for the Cork City Region as a whole, and the Docklands in particular.

An extensive range of uses are proposed in the plan. These are;

• A reconfigured Kent Railway Station fronting onto the River Lee, and improvements in public transport with new and improved pedestrian routes
• A substantial amount of new commercial floorspace
• Approximately 1,500 new homes, including higher density apartments and family units concentrated on Horgan’s Quay
• Potential for a new national conference / events centre at Kent Station
• A new park with adjacent water-based activity, a continuous quayside amenity area, and new smaller pocket parks and spaces
• An improved Lower Glanmire Road made possible by a new two-way traffic system and public realm works

The Plan is a culmination of a great deal of energy effort, imagination, and vision and we would therefore like to acknowledge the input of all those who contributed to its preparation, including the Members of Cork City Council, Council officials from the Planning Policy Section and other Council Departments, and the many stakeholders who participated in the consultation process. The redevelopment of Lapp’s Quay forms the first phase of the Cork City Docklands Project. City Manager Joe Gavin said that “the Cork City Council now looks forward to implementing the North Docks Local Area Plan through co-operating with public and private stakeholders with the aim of creating a vibrant new urban quarter in the City”. The Docklands Directorate will be responsible for spearheading the implementation of the North Docks Local Area Plan.

Copies of the Plan are available to the public for purchase from 8 March 2006, and can also be viewed on the website.

Kevin Terry, Director of Services & City Engineer,
Planning & Development Directorate, Cork City Council,
Navigation House, Albert Quay, Cork.

Phone: 021- 4924086 / 4924717.

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