Cork city centre is on course to meet the retail floor space targets set in its overall development plan, a new report revealed yesterday, as construction work began on a major €500 million shopping project just off St Patrick Street.
Cork city manager Joe Gavin pointed out that Cork City Plan 2004 had set a target of 52,000 sq metres of new shopping space in the city centre by 2011 but already some 34,000 sq metres were completed or under construction with a further 20,000 sq metres in pre-planning.
Mr Gavin said it was very gratifying to learn that objections had been withdrawn to the Academy Street project by O'Callaghan Properties and work started on the €500 million development on the site of the former Irish Examiner building.
The start by Dunnes Stores of the upgrade of its site on St Patrick Street along with the development of Half Moon Street and the Guys site on Cornmarket Street were all also hugely important in adding to the retail amenities in the city centre, he said.
"There is huge potential in Cork city centre - in the last fortnight a planning application was received for the Capitol site on the Grand Parade and we expect an application soon for a new library and retail development on the Grand Parade - these are very exciting times," he said. Cork City Council senior planner Ronnie McDowell told The Irish Times that the Dunnes Stores development as well as both the Academy Street development and the Half Moon Street/Lavitt's Quay development by O'Callaghan Properties were particularly significant.
"Collectively, they will strengthen the retail core of the city centre but what's also significant is that they will involve the upgrading of three streets - the widening of Faulkner's Lane and the upgrading of both Bowling Green Street and William Street off Patrick's Street.
"These are currently disamenities in the city centre but the developments involve them developing retail frontage and the plan is to re-create the atmosphere of Carey's Lane and French Church Street and make them live pedestrian conduits to Emmet Place," he said.
Mr Gavin pointed out that the population of the city centre had continued to rise in keeping with the council's development plan. Last year's census showed that some 12,054 were people living in the city centre - up from 11,949 in 2002 and 9,473 in 1986.
Development levies from projects in Cork city centre had also increased, being up from €7.5 million in 2003 to €16.5 million last year. The council would use this money for further improving the public realm in the city centre, he said.
Mr Gavin was speaking at the launch of the Cork City Strategic Area Plan Report which had been commissioned by Lord Mayor Cllr Michael Ahern to give an overview of the council's progress in developing the city centre in a number of areas.
Cllr Ahern said that improvements to the public realm were particularly noticeable in Cork with the upgrading of St Patrick's Street to create a street of quality while other shopping streets such as Oliver Plunkett Street and the Grand Parade had also been hugely improved. "Cork city centre has undergone significant change in the recent past. . . the next two years will see upgrades to the streets leading from St Patrick Street to the South Mall and on Cornmarket Street, Parnell Place and St Patrick's Bridge and Bridge Street," he said.
The success of Cork's tenure as European Capital of Culture in 2005 had given a new impetus to cultural and tourism projects and this was reflected in the development of cultural events as well as of hotel accommodation, he said.
