Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Clune for raising this issue on the Adjournment. It is widely acknowledged that the Cork docklands project advanced by Cork City Council is potentially of major significance to the city itself. From the outset, the Government has also viewed it as a project of national significance. The council is to be congratulated on articulating an ambitious vision for the regeneration of the docklands, establishing a detailed local planning framework and undertaking various infrastructural and economic studies to support the implementation of this vision.

With an area of more than 160 hectares contiguous to the city centre, the docklands offer the prospect of developing a modern, mixed use city quarter. Current plans anticipate that, over a 20-year period, the population of the docklands could increase from 500 to 22,000. This would entail the provision of more than 9,500 residential units, including almost 2,000 social and affordable units. It is estimated that the regeneration project has the potential to sustain approximately 27,000 new jobs in retail and financial services, industry, ICT, higher level educational institutions and leisure and cultural activities.

A development of this scale is the equivalent of placing a large town in a city centre location and would give Cork further critical mass in terms of its potential to act as a counterpoint to Dublin. For this reason, the regeneration of the docklands is recognised as a priority project under the national development plan and as an important element in meeting the overall objectives of the national spatial strategy regarding balanced regional development. In recognition of the potential significance of the Cork docklands project, the Government in December 2007 established the Cork Docklands Development Forum comprising representatives of relevant Departments, State agencies, local authorities and business and community interests. The forum was asked to prioritise the early consideration by, and response of, public bodies to the docklands area plan and to promote the effective co-ordination and delivery of public investment in the docklands.

The forum report submitted in early July 2008 sets out a policy and economic rationale for the regeneration project, identifies key economic and other drivers essential to the realisation of the vision for the area, identifies and costs critical public infrastructure required over the lifetime of the project, to 2027 at least, to underpin subsequent private investment, considered significant constraints and barriers to the intended redevelopment, considered how this redevelopment might be incentivised and made recommendations regarding institutional arrangements to bring the project forward.

The forum report envisages significant investment in public infrastructure, including the proposed eastern gateway bridge in opening up the south docklands for development as well as possible support for the relocation of port and other activities. While in the overall context of budgetary decisions, allocations under the gateway innovation fund have been deferred for 2009, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is conscious of the future strategic potential of the fund to drive and facilitate development and build on the local momentum in the gateways. Also, a new tax incentive scheme to facilitate the relocation of Seveso listed industrial facilities that hinder the regeneration of docklands in urban areas was announced in the budget, a significant response to the forum submission and submissions from others.

I wish also to inform the Deputy that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has discussed the matter with the Minister for Finance who is very much engaged with this project, understands the rationale behind it and is supportive of it. He is considering ways he can support the project into the future.

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