A draft planning scheme for a new town with about 5,000 homes and a population of 12,500 at Monard, Co Cork, was unveiled yesterday at Cork County Hall.
Monard will provide mostly family-type housing close to Cork city. County council officials emphasise Monard’s location will allow it to combine a pleasant environment, with plenty of space, with proximity to jobs and services.
Mayor of Co Cork Tim Lombard says the council is proposing creating another “Carrigaline, Ballincollig, or Midleton”. Cork County Council believes pressure will build for more housing in the next year, and the Monard draft plan is part of the solution to tackle the expected growth in population.
The estimated cost of the project is about €50 million, spread over 15-20 years.
The new town at Monard is part of the wider Cork Area Strategic Plan of putting more of Cork’s population next to high-quality public transport.
County manager Martin Riordan stresses Monard is about planning for the future.
“If anything we have been criticised for trying to catch up with the market. This is in a period of lull, getting ready for when the market will come back. And it will come back in three, four or five years’ time, and we will be ready for it. The one thing people are looking for out there is a town that is planned.”
Monard is the first strategic development zone designated outside greater Dublin, and the first to involve a new town. The scheme is on public display at the County Hall from Friday until July 31st, and the public can make observations on it in that period.