Marina plans progress
The popular Marina walkway is about to undergo some changes as city councillors this week gave the green light for its redevelopment.
Called the Marina Promenade project, its aim is to provide, City Hall said, a unique attraction for Cork city which will serve to integrate the Marina Park, the Passage Railway Greenway, Blackrock Village and Docklands.
During Monday’s Cork City Council meeting, councillors gave the go ahead for works to begin.
These include:
• Redesigning approximately 1.8km of the existing promenade (The Marina Road) to deliver a combined footpath-cycle path and improved public space. The promenade will be car free from Centre Park Road to Church Avenue, providing a high-quality shared surface for pedestrians and cyclists
• Provision of new seating areas, plazas, and balconies at intervals along the proposed promenade. - Retention of the formal tree planting along the route
• Provision of new pedestrian and cycle access points from the Marina Promenade into the adjacent Marina Park including Atlantic Pond and the Cork City to Passage West Greenway
• Alterations of the width of the carriageway between Church Avenue and Blackrock Village, allowing the northern footpath to increase in width to 3.2m.
• Provision of a local access road serving Lee Rowing Club, Pairc Ui Chaoimh and Atlantic Pond. The road will be two way with a raised table crossing facilitating to traffic calm the road and provide safe crossing facilities. It will include a set down area, disabled parking and will interface with the existing path from Marina Park Phase 1
• Replacement of public lighting between Church Avenue and Blackrock Harbour, and the addition of new public lighting between Centre Park Road and Church Avenue
• Other associated works including street furniture, utility ducting, etc.
Meanwhile the existing roadway between Church Avenue and Blackrock will remain as a vehicular access road as it serves the adjoining private residential properties. The existing road along this section of the Marina comprises a 2.5m wide footpath on the southern side, a 5m wide two-way carriageway and a 3m wide footpath on the northern side.
The dimensions of the southern footpath will be retained, whilst the surface finish and kerb line will be renewed.
It is proposed to reduce the width of the carriageway, allowing the northern footpath to increase in width to 3.2m. The traffic volume, traffic speed and proposed carriageway width is suitable for a shared street cycling regime, in accordance with the National Cycle Manual.
Marina Park
Separately, during the same meeting, councillors also paved the way for the next of Marina Park Phase 2 works to start.
When completed the overall park, including the Marina Promenade, will measure an area of approximately 32 ha or 79 acres.
A City Hall report said: “The proposed park will seek to embrace and enhance the existing natural and built assets of the site, including the Atlantic Pond, the Marsh, mature woodland, and open meadow areas. The proposals include the upgrading and creation of accessible, formal, and informal paths and trails throughout the park. The restoration and preservation of heritage structures within the park and the creation of a heritage trail, to highlight the unique history of the marina including such structures as Barrington Folly, the slipway, the boat house, the old quay wall etc.”
There will also be improvement works to the Atlantic Pond area, including the removal of the existing concrete edging and replacement with a selection of hard and soft landscaping, improved seating provision and the replacement of the existing concrete bridge.
A provision of a nature playground as well as incidental play areas throughout the park is included in the plan and there will be ecological management of the meadows, woodlands, and marsh areas to promote and increase the biodiversity of the area.
There’s also provision of sensitive public lighting and feature lighting within areas of the park and other associated works including park furniture, points of interest and wayfinding.