April 2024
Hi, there! — Welcome to the twenty-fifth edition of my monthly newsletter to keep you up to date on my work for Cork City North East.
This month we have motions on improved footpaths for Gordon’s Hill, consultation with residents on rights of way, and repairs to steps in Springmount in Glanmire — as well as questions on the operation of the Cork City Council housing list.
I’ve also included updates on a city that’s changing for the better, Cork City Council’s electric vehicle charging strategy, and Ireland’s first public “eco-graveyard”.
If there’s ever anything you want to get in touch about in the ward, or if you’ve thoughts or feedback on this newsletter, please feel welcome to email me any time at oliver.moran@greenparty.ie.
Please remember to also share this newsletter with your friends and neighbours in the ward.
Many thanks!
Oliver
p.s. You can use this link to easily read and share all my monthly newsletters ... oliver.ie/newsletter
Motions and notions
Every month, each councillor can submit up to four motions to Cork City Council and ask two formal questions of the Chief Executive. One of these questions is asked at the Local Area Committee and must be about local operational matters.
Before the deadline each month, I meet with my local group, the Cork City North Greens, and we agree motions and questions for the month ahead. We call this our “motions and notions” meeting :-)
If you have ideas or suggestions for a motion, or have a question you want asked, just let me know!
Or join the Cork City North Greens ... my.greenparty.ie
Questions
“To ask the Chief Executive to clarify if refusal of a bid property under CBL affects the reckonable period for the purposes of determining the relative priority of a household for social housing; and the relevant regulations or section of the allocations scheme that states this?”
I will also ask a question at the Local Area Committee meeting on Monday, 22 April, which I will agree closer to the time.
Motions
“That Cork City Council will seek funding for a pedestrian improvement scheme for Gordon’s Hill in Cahergal; providing a footpath on the western side where there is none (e.g. opposite Cahergal Avenue to the junction with the Ballyhooly Road); reducing the radius of corners, including at the junction with the Ballyhooly Road; and providing a pedestrian crossing.”
“That Cork City Council will follow a non-statutory process that mirrors the statutory process to extinguish a right of way, where it is proposed to install a lockable gate or other mechanism to limit the times of use, or otherwise restrict the use, of a right of way (unless it is determined that a statutory process is required).”
“Subsequent to the report to motion 24/004, that Cork City Council will remove the metal poles from the historic wall at Alexandra Road as they are redundant and detract from the Architectural Conservation Area and this important viewing point.”
“That Cork City Council will repair the pedestrian steps from Springmount Drive to the R639 in Glanmire, which are highly used, including by older residents, but that are in a state of significant disrepair.”
What’s happening?
A city that’s changing for the better
This month, Cork City Council delivered a booklet to every household outlining a vision for the city that’s being delivered upon. It’s an example of the work the Green Party has been committed to since being elected in 2019.
The city is spending €1.9bn to deliver 5,000 new homes by 2026. As well as traditional social housing, new options like affordable housing and not-for-profit ‘cost-rental’ are finally happening.
Those new options are now ramping up to the scale necessary. There are 31 cost rental homes already being lived in in Glanmire and 51 more under construction in Lotabeg. In 2025, 300 cost-rental and affordable apartments will be built in the North Docks by the Land Development Agency.
These new homes are strategically located next to public transport, so that car ownership is less of a necessity.
Last week, a tender was issued for a new €10m bus depot at Tivoli. This new facility will accommodate 150 buses in addition to the existing depot at Capwell — and the Bus Éireann fleet will transition to all-electric buses for the city.
In less than 12 months, BusConnects Cork will begin with the roll out of new services. This will include extending the 208 to Glanmire, a new service to the Banduff Road, and more regular services for areas where there’s an older population, like near Audley Place and Murmont.
The engineering works already underway by Irish Rail on the Cork suburban rail network will mean 10-minute commuter services are possible by 2026. That will enable Blackpool and Blarney stations to open again.
Underpinning this is that Cork has stepped up to be an EU Mission City to be climate neutral by 2030, putting us at the forefront of the urban transition. That’s an enormous challenge but the initiatives underway demonstrate there’s a commitment to achieving that.
By prioritizing public transport, creating more options for housing, and meeting our ambitions for climate action, we’re building a city that works for everyone.
I’ve made the full ‘Our City Is Changing’ document available at oliver.ie/change and more information is available on the Cork City Council website.
Electric car charging strategy
This month, councillors in Cork City Council finally received a presentation on the draft electric vehicles charging strategy for the city. The purpose of the strategy is to prepare for the expansion of electric vehicles, in particular for residents who don’t have access to charging at their own homes.
Currently, there are about 3,000 electric cars in the city, which is about 3% of cars. However, this is expected to grow to 36,000 by 2030.
The strategy is planned to go for public consultation in the next few weeks and aims to have:
Normal chargers within two minutes’ walk of every home without off-street charging.
Fast chargers within 5—10 minutes’ walk of every home without off-street charging.
The immediate plan will be to have 44 normal charging locations and 26 fast charging locations in place by 2025. Each location will have capacity to charge a number of cars simultaneously.
By 2030, the aim will be to have 200 normal charging and 39 fast charging locations across the city, which will provide 550–700 individual charging points.
The normal charging units will be located in neighbourhood locations, such as within housing estates or on side-streets. The fast charging units will be located in publicly accessible locations, like car parks.
The charging units will be privately-run on a tender-basis and its planned that there will be interoperability between different operators (e.g. one payment system, regardless of operator).
The investment cost is estimated to be around €5m for the first phase up to 2025 and another €15m from 2025 to 2030, which will include both private and public investment.
The public consultation will include indicative maps of charging locations for the first phase up to 2025 and the second phase up to 2030.
Importantly (as it is something a lot of people ask about), there will be no provision for allowing charging cables to be “strung” across public footpaths to on-street parking.
Ireland’s first public “eco-graveyard”
The March meeting of Cork City Council approved plans to expand St. Catherine’s cemetery in Kilcully.
The expansion includes 2,199 new standard burial plots and 880 cremation burial plots — as well as Ireland’s first publicly-owned natural burial ground.
Traditional burials often involve embalming and caskets, which can have environmental drawbacks. A natural burial is a simple process where the body is placed in the earth in a way that allows it to decay naturally.
The expansion of Kilcully cemetery will include 312 natural burial plots, designed at the edge of a wetland amenity and carbon sink.
A policy around management of the natural burial site will mean that only a simple stone or a small tree will mark burial plots. In time, this will evolve itself into a parkland and a natural amenity for the area.
The calls for a natural burial ground came from members of the public in the North East ward. I was happy to support and bring the idea through Cork City Council.
People choose natural burials for a number of reasons. For some, it’s a more environmentally friendly option compared to traditional burials. Others may prefer the natural simplicity of the process.
Ultimately, it’s a personal choice that allows you to give back to the earth after you’re gone.
In the news…
Residents in Kilcully ‘seriously disappointed’ and planning protest if pedestrian and traffic calming works do not begin
Speaking following the Kilcully and Ballincrokig Residents Association meeting, Mr Moran said residents are frustrated over the lack of progress in delivering the works.
Echo, Tuesday, 2 April
Council’s climate plan will see investment of more than €2.2bn in green initiatives in Cork city
Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said the plan committed to investment of €2.5 billion over the next five years, as part of a wider €10 billion pipeline.
Echo, Tuesday, 26 March
New Cork city busking laws could come into effect before summer
Cllr Oliver Moran has been heavily involved since its initial proposal, pushing to delay a vote to ensure the city’s buskers were given a fair consultation period.
Cork Beo, Friday, 22 March
Keep in touch
Thanks for reading! Please feel welcome to share this newsletter and invite other people you know to subscribe — and, if you can, please consider making a donation to my 2024 re-election campaign.
You can also keep up to date with my activities on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Mastodon and TikTok. And don’t forget, you can email me any time at oliver.moran@greenparty.ie.
Have a great month!
