Big Fuck Off Estate to be built near Blarney

[mire]

Meh, i'm happy enough to be heading to be honest. See the world and all that shite.

I agree fully with what you say there, and this is pretty much aiming to do exactly that. We build this town, and grow Midleton/Carrigtwohill, and you've got a very strong suburban rail route going from Midleton all the way to this new suburb which will take in Blarney and Blackpool too.

You shouldn't look at the city and say it is what is currently governed by the City Council boundary. Cities work as regions. The Cork City region basically goes from Ballincollig back to Midleton, and i don't think it's stretching it to say you could get half a million population in there, making Cork more comparable to Belfast. We've already got this commuter train line up and running on the eastern section, and a Bus Rapid Transit route is planned to go from Mahon, to town, and out to Collig via UCC/Wilton/Btown/CIT.

Just growing out the existing city boundary bit by bit wouldn't help to develop proper transport routes around the city, it would hinder it if anything.

On the button, although I believe a new Metropolitan Authority responsible for the planning and development of the city- region is necessary to deliver all of the infrastructure you mention. Cork should focus development on the corridor between Midleton and Ballincollig via the city proper, the most efficient spatial and physical pattern for a city like Cork is a linear one, and there should be no more growth permitted in places that are inaccessible to public transport [Douglas/Carrigaline/Fermoy etc]. High quality fixed public transport corridors always ultimately succeed in changing development patterns - there is some evidence to suggest that the Cork Midleton line will be a success in rebalancing the city. Monard is phase 2/3 of this strategy and it is good that the County are progressing this. This is exaclty where Cork should absorb and direct population growth in 10-15 years time - not south cork, Macroom or yet another attempt at a new 'town' in Ovens.

Shame you are leaving.