Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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827. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the eastern gateway bridge in Cork; if it will be included in the National Development Plan (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10872/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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In line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan (NDP), the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) provides part-funding to applicant-led projects, enabling more compact and sustainable development within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns, while also ensuring that more parts of our urban areas can become attractive and vibrant places in which people choose to live and work, as well as to invest and to visit. Providing assistance to 132 proposals, comprising of over 400 sub-projects across Calls 1 and 2, URDF projects are now active in every local authority area in the Country.

In 2021, following the second call for proposals under the URDF, I announced a provisional allocation of €353.4m in URDF support for Cork City Council's 'Cork City Docklands' proposal. This was increased in 2024 to €357.6m to include funding for resources to support delivery of the proposal. The project will unlock Cork City Docklands potential to develop as a vibrant, high quality district that will attract investment to the city in terms of mixed use development, leisure and cultural facilities. The development of Cork City Docklands is a key element of Cork City’s ambitious plans to achieve compact urban growth as part of Project Ireland 2040.

The URDF program for Cork City Docklands comprises several capital sub-projects. The Eastern Gateway Bridge is one of these projects and currently has a funding allocation of €56.6 million

The Preliminary Business Case for the overall Cork City Docklands proposal was submitted to my department by Cork City Council in December 2024. The proposal is currently being assessed internally and also needs to be assessed via the External Assurance Process (EAP) process, in line with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines for projects with an estimated total cost in excess of €200 million.

The delivery programme for the individual projects within the proposal, including the Eastern Gateway Bridge, is subject to proposals for varying timelines through the subsequent stages of the Infrastructure Guidelines as individual projects.

It should also be noted that responsibility for the advancement through the various stages of the Infrastructure Guidelines is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant sponsoring agency (Cork City Council in this case).