Cork city manager Joe Gavin has welcomed the decision of An Bord Pleanála to confirm a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for 10 hectares of land in the city that will facilitate the development of a park to service a €2 billion development of the city's south docklands.
The board has confirmed that Cork City Council can proceed with the CPO of the properties, which include some 8.7 hectares owned by the Munster Agriculture Society at the Cork Showgrounds in Ballintemple in the southeastern corner of the city.
Last November, both the city council and the agricultural society made submissions at an oral hearing held by the planning board over the issue of whether the council could proceed with a CPO of the property, which is adjacent to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The agricultural society has leased the showgrounds from the council since 1892 and is just 19 years into a 99-year lease of the property, which is used to host agricultural shows and other events such as Funderland.
The council had sought to buy out the lease from the agricultural society through a CPO in order to develop the entire 10hectare site as a public park to service the €2 billion south docklands project, which will see 23,000 people work and 14,000 reside in the rejuvenated area.
The Bord Pleanála hearing heard evidence over four days, including claims by the council that the area was underutilised. This was strenuously rejected by the agricultural society but planning inspector Michael Ward has given the go-ahead for a CPO.
Mr Gavin said that the board's decision was very welcome as it allowed the city council proceed with its plan to develop the area, which is zoned for amenity and recreation, as "a park which is integral to the overall south docklands project".
The vast majority of the land in question would be developed as a public park but a small portion would be made available to the GAA to allow it carry out a refurbishment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, which is adjacent to the showgrounds, he said.
Mr Gavin said the next step would be to publish the CPO and, following completion of legal documents, the council would then enter into discussions with the agricultural society and other landowners to see if they could reach agreement on compensation. If the city council fails to reach agreement with the various interested parties, then the matter would be sent for official arbitration before an arbitrator appointed by the High Court, Mr Gavin said.
Munster Agriculture Society chairman Gerard Murphy expressed disappointment at the planning board's decision and said the society's members would wait until they receive the board's decision and have an opportunity to study it at length.
"We are very disappointed - the society has worked for over 160 years with and for the city of Cork and we are still determined to continue serving the city of Cork," he said, adding that the society is reserving its position on whether it might seek a judicial review.