Better uses for outlet money?
The money to be spent on a retail outlet village in Carrigtohill might be better spent transforming one of Cork’s many existing towns.
That’s according to Leeside architect Karl Shane Dískín, who told the Cork Independent that if the mooted retail outlet was to be located in a town centre as part of a wider urban regeneration scheme, that considerably more people might benefit from it.
“A retail outlet centre does not have to equate to an out-of-town facility, but should refer to an urban regeneration masterplan within the core of one of the many Cork county towns that could be transformed by such investment,” Mr Dískín told the Cork Independent.
His comments come following a County Hall decision to amend the County Development Plan 2014 earlier this week, paving the way for the development of a retail outlet village in Carrigtohill by 2024.
Only four councillors voted against the proposed development, with 42 voting in favour for the plan which has been strongly likened to the Kildare Village Outlet Centre which opened in 2007.
Mr Dískín said: “Having visited the Kildare Village Outlet once before, I was struck by how marvelous the public spaces were, how well paved it was, with lovely planting and food kiosks and street lighting. That’s exactly how our town centres ought to be.”
He continued: “There are plenty of towns that could receive this investment rather than a greenfield site in the middle of nowhere. What about Carrigtohill town, or Midleton, or Castlemartyr? The county ought to be seeking always to direct investment into the county towns, to do otherwise is a dereliction of duty.”
However, Fine Gael Cllr Susan McCarthy told the Cork Independent that this could never have been an option as the retail outlet centre is a private development.
“That's a moot point because it's a private investment. It's something that we don't have control over. If a company wants to come in and set up something like this, then we can't ask them to invest in our villages instead,” the councillor said.
Cllr McCarthy said that she is confident that any negative impact that the outlet centre may have will be counterbalanced by its positive impact on Cork city and county.
She said: “I feel that whatever impact may come from people going and spending money in the outlet centre, that it would be then offset by the extra tourism figures that it will bring into the region. I don't think that can be overlooked.”
A site for the €100 million project has been secured at Killacloyne, Carrigtohill, just off the Fota Junction on the N25, with the project expected to create approximately 850 jobs.