Planning Cork City, a vision for Sustainable Development.
The new City Development Plan sets out how Cork City will grow and develop over the next six years, complementing a longer term 2040 vision.
With a population of 224,004 in 2022, Cork City is an emerging international city of scale and a national driver of economic and urban growth. Project Ireland 2040 designates the city for significant additional growth over the next 20 years, supported by large scale investment. The Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 sets out how the city can best enable this grow and investment over the next six years, while continuing to be an innovative, vibrant, healthy and resilient city.
As a twin-university and maritime city, Cork's diversity is the driving force behinds its vibrant city centre and thriving neighbourhoods. For the first time, the city plan also encompasses the towns of Ballincollig, Blarney, Tower and Glanmire, and wider hinterland areas. The unique natural environment and distinctive built heritage within this overall area add further to the city's diversity. This city plan provides a new planning framework focused on delivering sustainable growth that builds on the full potential of its human, economic and environmental assets.
Cork City 2040 Vision
Cork City seeks to achieve ambitious 2040 growth targets in a way that delivers a high quality of life for all residents. This involves long term strategic planning and proactive land management to sustain investment and growth, tackle climate change, care for community and neighbourhood development and protect and enhance the City’s natural and built heritage.
The 2040 Concept Plan sets out the longer-term vision for land use planning and management in the city. It identifies areas for additional growth beyond the plan period within the city.
The regeneration of City Docks and Tivoli Docks along with other brownfield sites are identified as key regeneration areas to deliver compact liveable growth by 2040. In the City Centre, regeneration and expansion of residential, employment, cultural and community uses is needed to increase vibrancy in central neighbourhoods and decrease underutilised buildings and sites.
Transport-Orientated Development will stem from the planning and delivery of Light-Rail Transit and its interaction with the Lee to Sea Greenway, suburban rail network, orbital bus routes and strategic bus corridors in key areas such as Blackpool, Ballyvolane, Mahon and South Ballincollig. The Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy 2040 (CMATS) sets out the phased delivery of this new network designed to deliver an integrated multimodal city transport system.
Longer term strategic planning and delivery of growth in areas such as Tramore Road, Stoneview and the lands located between the City and Ballincollig will further enhance the delivery of growth in Cork City and align with the National Planning targets up to 2040.
Employment-led growth is also central to delivering sustainable and ambitious targets envisaged for the City. It is estimated that approximately 35,000 new jobs will be generated by the planned population growth. Geographically, lands have been zoned to accommodate future demand while targeting neighbourhoods where there are relatively high levels of unemployment, creating inclusive and sustainable communities and anticipating likely market trends over the period to 2028.
Cork City 2028 Vision
Compact Liveable Growth promotes development at the right locations primarily through regeneration, consolidation and re-intensification. This growth is supported by new physical and social infrastructure that puts people first, supporting everyday life that makes it easy and safe to move around Cork City. A mix of uses, densities and high-quality design will ensure a balance between protecting the amenities and character of a neighbourhood.
Population targets are distributed to enhance the existing network of neighbourhoods, towns and settlements in the city. The strategy provides the rationale for land use zonings and site-specific objectives set out in this Plan. It is based on a detailed analysis of the housing delivery potential based on findings of the Joint Cork City and County Housing Strategy and the Housing Need Demand Assessment.
A City Capacity Study was carried out to assess capacity for future development at site level. The study identified infrastructural constraints within different areas of the city and informed assessments of how best to accommodate new development within and adjoining the existing built-up area of the city.
Informed by these studies, the 2028 Map spatially illustrates the planned 10 strategic regeneration and expansion areas. The strategy also focuses on delivering consolidated urban and district centres, new employment zones, core bus corridors, the Lee-to-Sea greenway and the longer-term delivery of an Light-Rail Transit alongside enhancing walking and cycling networks.
Growth Strategy Map
The Cork City 2028 vision is detailed in the Growth Strategy Map. The City Capacity Study assessed the capacity for future development within existing underutilised zoned lands, including brownfield, infill and greenfield sites.
This map illustrates locations designated for mixed-use regeneration and expansion and sustainable residential and neighbourhood growth within the plan period. The strategy reflects the land use zonings and site-specific objectives set out in this Plan.
The map illustrates the sites within the 10 strategic areas identified for consolidation, regeneration or expansion. It also shows 11 locations designated as Neighbourhood Development Sites within the city. These locations are locally important for neighbourhood regeneration to enhance the delivery of walkable neighbourhoods within the city.
Strategic Areas
The strategy is based on the following objectives for city growth:
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2028 Spatial Growth Objectives
Compact Liveable Growth
Strategic Objectives
The city plan sets out nine Strategic Objectives (SO’s) linked to the overarching roles of the UNSustainable Development Goals. The Core Strategy focuses on objectives that deliver Compact Liveable Growth within the city. The remaining SO’s each have an individual chapter within the plan setting out specific development objectives and actions.
Given their nature, delivering these SO’s requires the joint efforts of Cork City Council, residents, stakeholders, developers, Government Departments and State and local development agencies, along with a range of other stakeholders in the city.
- Compact Liveable Growth
- Delivering Homes and Communities
- Transport and Mobility
- Climate and Environment
- Green And Blue infrastructure, Open Space and Biodiversity
- Economy and Employment
- Heritage, Tourism and Arts
- Environmental infrastructure
- Placemaking and Managing Development
Neighbourhood Profiles
The global climate change emergency and the recent global pandemic have reiterated the need for planning more resilient cities. The 15-Minute City is an urban planning response to the UN SDGs and the Climate Change emergency that focuses on increasing proximity through multiuse functions, increasing ease of access, focusing on people-orientated design and creating a sense of place.
As part of the preliminary stage of preparing the new plan, a Cork City Neighbourhood Profile (2021) was carried out to provide a clearer understanding of the nature and context of the existing network of neighbourhoods, towns or communities in the city. The profile provides an evidence-base to allow planners, developers and the wider community to make informed decisions about the nature, mix and form of new development at neighbourhood level.
Walkable Neighbourhoods
The plan uses this existing and emerging network of neighbourhoods within the city as the starting point for delivering Compact Liveable Growth. This network is based on 10-minute walking areas (800m) that provide a mix of homes, schools, shops, parks, jobs and community spaces.
Planning for Liveable Walkable Neighbourhoods requires the integration of a range of house types and tenures, jobs, recreation, green space, local shops, medical centres, small businesses and more. New developments need to reflect and respond to existing context by delivering the right mix of uses at a scale and design that creates high quality places. They also need to enhance the neighbourhood by increasing opportunities for social interactions that improve the quality of life.
Read the full Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
Volume 1 - Written Statement
Volume 2 - Mapped Objectives
Volume 3 - Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
