Monard: a field of dreams

A quarter of a century has passed since the new town of Monard was first mooted for the outskirts of Cork city, and despite some recent stirrings, locals remain doubtful it will ever get built at all.

Though the Monard Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) Planning Scheme has had approval from An Bord Pleanála for over a decade at this point, development on the approximately 1,000 acre greenfield site just east of Blarney remains non-existent.

This is largely due to long-standing uncertainty surrounding funding commitments for vital infrastructure such as wastewater management, a new train station, and suitable road access.

Originally proposed in 2001 under the jurisdiction of Cork County Council as an ambitious new rail-based town, the plan for Monard was to house up to 13,000 people in over 5,000 homes.

Following official designation of the site as an SDZ by the government in 2010, a draft planning scheme was prepared by Cork County Council in 2012. Unlike other plans, SDZ planning schemes are subject to appeal by An Bord Pleanála, and two appeals were lodged. Following an oral hearing, the board refused to approve the first planning scheme in September 2013.

However, the decision did not affect the status of Monard as an SDZ and in 2015, a second planning scheme was prepared and subsequently approved by An Bord Pleanála in 2016, subject to modifications.

It’s here that the trail goes cold, with much hinging upon the construction of a long-awaited new train station along the Cork to Mallow rail line which runs through the southern portion of the Monard SDZ.

The proposed Monard Station is a cornerstone of Phase 2 of the Cork Area Commuter Rail (CACR) programme, which in turn is a key part of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS) 2040.

In total, Phase 2 of CACR includes proposals for eight new stations, full electrification, and a new train maintenance and stabling depot. Planning for two of these new stations – Blackpool and Dunkettle – has already been sought.

Iarnród Éireann has confirmed to the Cork Independent that a railway order seeking approval to progress with development of the six additional stations, Monard being one, will be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála by the end of 2026.

Doubtful

Despite this notable step forward, Tim Butter of the Monard Concerned Residents group says he remains doubtful of any meaningful progress being made any time soon.

“Personally, I just can't see it ever getting off the ground,” said Mr Butter.

“You've got a problem with the fact that you'd be building apartments in the middle of a field – that’s one issue.

“Then you've got the wastewater supply – that’s another big issue."

Mr Butter said he understands the original plan regarding wastewater was for the first 100 houses to be connected to the now decommissioned Killeens Wastewater Treatment Plant about a mile away. The plant is currently being converted into terminal pumping station which will pump raw wastewater directly into the main Cork city drainage network.

“I don't know now whether Monard will be connected to that,” said Mr Butter.

I don't know what capacity is in those pipes, whether it can take an extra 5,000 houses – I suspect not,” he added.

Road access is another major concern for people living in the Monard area, with the Old Mallow Road being the only major connection.

“I mean, it's locally known as the windiest road in Cork,” said Mr Butter. “The Old Mallow Road is not really suitable for heavy traffic.

“I think their (Cork County Council) transport advisor said it could be as much as 1,000 vehicles an hour on it. I mean, it's just laughable,” he said.

Asked if locals hope the plan might simply be abandoned, Mr Butter said that, although he can’t see it getting off the ground, he also doesn’t see it being taken off the table, leaving the whole situation in limbo.

“The most likely continuing outcome as things stand is that it will just continue to be what it is now, which is a confusing ongoing embarrassment that people seem not to be talking about,” he said.

M20 impact

Not everyone’s outlook is quite so bleak however, with Cork North-Central Fine Gael TD, Colm Burke confident that the completion of the rail station will serve as the key to finally unlock the Monard SDZ puzzle.

“I would say Cork County Council will be trying to expedite this because Irish Rail are definitely going ahead,” said Mr Burke.

“They're really going to push this hard,” he added.

Deputy Burke also pointed out that much development in the area depends upon the N/M20 Cork to Limerick scheme, planning for which is expected to be submitted sometime in 2027 with a view to commence works in 2030 and completion by 2035.

“A lot is going to depend on how fast that goes through, and then once that gets through, this whole area is going to be developed pretty fast after that,” he said.

In terms of what kinds of housing will be built in Monard if and when development actually begins, Deputy Burke said Cork County Council is well aware of how housing demand has changed.

He said: “I would say it'll be a mix of everything. Take Ballyvolane for instance. There've over 700 houses gone to planning. There's another 300 to go in there. And there's a mix of houses going in there from apartments to three bedroom houses, two bedroom houses, and one bedroom houses.”

Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North-Central, Padraig O’Sullivan, said the most recent mention he’s aware of regarding the Monard SDZ in within the newly adopted Cork County Development Plan. In the plan, Monard continues to be identified as a “long-term and strategic development" site, with approximately 41 hectares identified for around 1,433 housing units in the current planning horizon.

Importantly, Deputy O’Sullivan noted that the same report warned that planned growth across Cork depends on infrastructure provision from state agencies such as TII, Uisce Éireann, and ESB Networks.

Deputy O’Sullivan said this suggest Monard has not been abandoned and remains embedded in Cork County Council's strategic planning framework.

He said: “The focus appears to have shifted from the original vision of an entirely new town toward a more phased, long-term development opportunity. Infrastructure remains the main bottleneck.

“The key difference between Monard and other SDZs, such as Clonburris in Dublin, is that Clonburris secured substantial front-loaded state funding for enabling infrastructure. Monard never received an equivalent infrastructure package, leaving the project effectively in a holding pattern despite having an approved planning framework.”

There was no mention of Monard in Budget 2027.