Following Government designation of Monard as Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) in 2010, Cork County Council has now published a Draft Planning Scheme for a new town at Monard. The Draft Scheme will be on public display from 15 June until 31 July 2012. Any member of the public can make observations on it during that period, and those who do so will have a right of appeal to An Bord Pleanála.

Strategic Development Zones (SDZs) involve a new type of planning, which shows the proposed street layouts and buildings in much more detail than normal plans, and aims to have facilities for residents in place from the start. SDZs were introduced in 2000, and the best known example is Adamstown in West Dublin. Monard will be lower density than Adamstown, reflecting the difference between the Dublin and Cork property markets, but will also be aiming for a high quality of design. Monard is the first SDZ to be designated outside the Greater Dublin area, and the first one to involve a new town.

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The Planning Scheme for Monard is needed at this stage because completing the planning process and providing pre-development infrastructure for Monard will take at least 3 years. When the housing market starts to recover, it will initially be a selective recovery, in places which have below average vacancy, and stronger than average demand, such as the areas close to Cork City.

Monard will be a new satellite town, similar to existing ones like Carrigaline or Ballincollig, in the sense that they also grew from populations of under 1000 (in 1970) to 13-15,000 today. Like them, Monard may take 20 or 30 years to reach its (slightly smaller) intended population of 12,500. While they had the advantage of a small existing town core, Monard is well placed to get public services and facilities as soon as they are needed. Strategic Development Zones are designated because the Government considers them of economic or social importance to the State.

The new town at Monard is part of the wider CASP strategy of putting more of Cork’s population next to high quality public transport. Like Cobh, Midleton, and Carrigtwohill, Monard is on a suburban rail line, and will have its own station. Because Monard is on a greenfield site, to be developed in accordance with an overall Plan, it has also been easier to design in more direct cycle ways and pedestrian routes to shops, schools and the rail station, and to run sections of these through well-overlooked linear open spaces, away from traffic. Individually, residents will be less dependent on their cars, and have less need to drive teenage children wherever they want to go. Collectively, they will use less energy and be less exposed to future rises in its price and limitations on its availability.

(CD)