North West City Park Masterplan and Phase 1 Design

Works Extent

The development of a City Park in the north-west area is an ambition of Cork City Council and is designated as a key deliverable in the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028.

This new park will fulfil an important function in providing a range of both passive and active recreation opportunities and will enhance biodiversity for this area of the city.

The proposed park will be located within the lands zoned as "public open space" in the Cork City Development Plan, comprises an area of approximately 116 hectares (287 acres), approximately 2.25km from Cork City centre.  The lands are situated north of Kilmore Heights and south of Lower Killeens Road.

The delivery of the park will be phased to reflect land availability and funding resources.

Objectives

The primary objective for the North West City Park is address deficiency in park provision to the north and north west of the city, and to respond to the needs of the existing and future neighbourhoods by promoting active and passive recreation, and offering social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits.  The Park shall ultimately improve the quality of life for residents in the surrounding communities.

Timeline

A Multi-disciplinary Consultancy Design Team was appointed in mid-2024.  Since then, multiple site visits have been undertaken to the area shown below to gain an understanding of the site itself and also of the surrounding areas.  Work has also been undertaken to establish baseline data locally; a preliminary ecological survey and topographical survey have been completed, as well as various desktop studies and mapping exercises.

In order to develop the Masterplan for the North West City Park, Cork City Council intend to engage widely with the public and local communities to establish and respond to the needs and requirements that may be met by the development of the Park.  Engagement will take place over the course of 2025 to explore early ideas and allow individuals and groups to highlight what matters most of help shape the park's future development.

Following public engagement, a Masterplan for the full extent of the Park will be established.  It is also intended to develop an Implementation Strategy to guide Cork City Council in the delivery of the Park in a phased manner over the coming years.

Lifelong Learning Festival – Engagement Events

Sharing A Vision for the North West City Park

Cork City Council are hosting a number of events and workshops over the course of the Lifelong Learning Festival 2025. In developing a Masterplan for a distinguished new park in the city’s northwest, the Design Team wants to hear and learn from you!

Working with our landscape Architects, OKRA, with Lead Artist / Director of WAVEparticle, Peter McCaughey, and Cork based architecture firm Scott Tallon Walker, we will undertake interactive workshops and drop-in sessions to allow individuals and groups to highlight what matters most and help shape the park’s future development.

Keep an eye on this project page for details and updates, or email NorthWestCityPark@corkcity.ie for more information.

For further information please contact Roslyn McCarthy, Senior Executive Engineer at email roslyn_mccarthy@corkcity.ie