Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy is calling upon the community and artistic sector across the city and especially in the south east to engage with the public consultation on the new Cork City Arts Strategy. The Arts Office of Cork City Council are now developing a new strategy to guide their work over the next five years. They want to ensure that arts and culture in Cork City is the very best it can be. To help them with thinking and planning, they would like to understand more about what people think and feel about arts and culture in Cork City now and to gather their hopes and ideas for the future.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “Cork City Council has consistently invested in and supported the arts. There are many different tools at their disposal for the development of the arts. These include ideas generation, funding support, infrastructural support, resource and staffing support. Planning for the future, assessing the impact of our work to date and consolidating cultural infrastructure are all crucial elements to plan for going forward”.
“On Cork City’s public consultation portal under the survey section (www. consult.corkcity.ie/en/surveys) is a short survey and gives you the opportunity to share your views and inform what we do in the years ahead. The survey is confidential and contains short questions looking for public input. The survey will remain open until 6 December at 5pm”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed Cork City Council’s Parks and Recreation Division undertaking of trials researching various alternatives to herbicides. The research during the past three years has concluded that the alternatives are less effective and more costly. The alternatives included steam jet application, electric strimmer and organic herbicides. The disadvantage of the alternatives is that the control increases from one operation per year up to four for any one of the alternatives. That said the alternatives are by far more environmentally friendly in terms of greater biodiversity and pollinator friendly amenity areas.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The Marina and The Atlantic Pond areas are core areas I have had phonecalls on and questions on the use of herbicide. The Roads Department are cognisant of general concerns regarding the use of glyphosate and have been conducting trials in the last three years with contractors using non-glyphosate products. These trials have incrementally ramped up to the point that in 2021 these trials cover 140km of the public road network, i.e., 28% of the road network. In the coming months, an evaluation of these trials will be completed with respect to effectiveness and costs, with a view to expanding the overall percentage of network treated with non-glyphosate products in 2022”.
“Providing the trials are deemed successful, contractors with effective non-glyphosate products are available, and costs match Council budget allocation, it is the Roads Departments intention to proceed with non-glyphosate products in the future treatment of the City’s road network”, concluded Cllr McCarthy.
An allocation of €800,000 from the National Transport earlier this year has allowed much progress on the next phase of the Ballybrack cycle scheme (phase 4).
This next phase involves the construction of circa 2.1km, 4m wide pedestrian and cycle path connecting the recently completed Ballybrack Pedestrian and Cycle Track Phases 2 & 3 with Maryborough Hill and proposed new residential developments along the route, especially in Castletreasure.
The project is slightly behind because of Covid and stoppage works in construction.
But the allocation has enabled Cork City Council to progress with a design team and it is currently preparing the detailed designs for the project.
Ground investigation work is also currently proceeding at present.
Cork City Council is hoping to be in a position to tender for the scheme in 2022.I will keep my pressure on what is a very exciting addition.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has today launched a second round of public consultation for the Cork Bus Network Redesign, which forms a key part of the overall BusConnects Cork Programme. This round of public consultation will be on the BusConnects Cork Draft New Bus Network.
In July 2021, the NTA held an initial public consultation on BusConnects Cork. The survey style consultation gave the people of Cork the opportunity to help shape a new bus network by providing views on a how a new network would best service everyone. There was almost 1200 responses to the survey and many more engagements.
These responses informed the design of a Draft New Bus Network for the Cork Metropolitan Area, which will now be published for review and feedback. Under the proposals contained in the new Draft Network Report, the level of bus services in Cork will increase by 36% with shorter waits and more direct routes for commuters within the city. 34% more people will live close to a frequent service.
The consultation period for the BusConnects Cork Draft New Bus Network will run from Tuesday 2 November to Friday 10 December 2021. This consultation will take place online, allowing the public to provide their views on the amended bus network proposals.
· Draft New Bus Network Report – Available in English, Irish and accessible PDF.
· 7 Local Area Booklets –Available on the website and will be delivered to over 160,000 premises in the coming weeks.
· Public Information Campaign – This will be ran for six weeks across all local media outlets.
· Interactive Online Map – Learn how people can use the proposed services and routes.
· Online Information Events – Virtual public meetings will take place via Zoom on Wednesday 17th November (@6.30pm), Wednesday 24th November (@1.30pm) and Tuesday 30th November (@6.30pm). Additional virtual events may be scheduled subject to interest. Further details as well as registration links can be found on our website.
· Online Feedback Form – The consultation portal is available on our website and submissions can be made there.
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the most
recent update on the Bus Connects project by Cork City Council’s Roads and
Transportation Directorate. The improvement and expansion of Cork bus services
has been a long- standing objective for the City. The availability of frequent,
reliable and cost effective bus based transport is a critical enabler for the
planned growth in Cork over the period to 2040. Bus Connects is a key component
of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy and it is supported by the
National Development Plan.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The National Transport Authority
(NTA) is now progressing the necessary measures for planning and delivering Bus
Connects in Cork. Additional staff have also been recruited by the City Council
with National Transport Authority assistance to support the development and
roll out of the programme. A number of separate design teams have been
appointed to develop concept designs for the core bus corridors. These corridor
improvements will be necessary for the efficient running of an expanded bus
service and will include provision for bus priority as well as cycle and
pedestrian facilities”.
Cllr McCarthy continued: “The issues to be
addressed in the network review were presented for public consultation in July
2021 and submissions received have been fed into the design process. It is
expected that the emerging draft network proposals will be subject to further
consultation in November 2021 and that the revised network layout will be
published in quarter one of 2022”.
7 October 2021, “Cllr McCarthy explained that Cork City Council Council is also continuing to work with the multitude of landowners on the renewal part of Avenue De Rennes. “What has been revealed is a complex network of over a dozen owners of property in a small area,” he said, He said a substantial packet of investment, probably from central government may be needed to help renew the area, “Welcome for news that vacant building in Mahon will be demolished and redeveloped”, Welcome for news that vacant building in Mahon will be demolished and redeveloped (echolive.ie)
1119a. Front cover of 2021-2022 brochure for Discover Cork Schools’ Heritage Project.
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 30 September 2021
Launch of Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage
Project, Year 20
It
is great to reach year 20 of the Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project. It
is just slightly younger than this column but both this column, the school
project and the walking tours are all about popularising more of Cork’s history
and story for interested citizens and the next generation.
Over
15,000-16,000 students have participated in the Schools’ Heritage Project
through the years with many topics researched and written about – from
buildings and monuments to people’s stories and memories.
Covid-19
has brought many challenges to every part of society and never before has our
locality and its heritage being so important for recreation and for our peace
of mind. In the past eighteenth months, more focus than ever before has been
put on places and spaces we know, appreciate, and attain personal comfort from.
The
Schools’ Heritage Project is aimed at both primary and post primary level. Project books may be submitted on any aspect
of Cork’s rich past. The theme for this year’s project is “Cork Heritage
Treasures”. Funded by Cork City Council, the Project is an initiative of the
Cork City Heritage Plan.
The Project is open to schools in Cork City at primary level to the
pupils of fourth, fifth and sixth class and at post-primary from first to sixth
years. There are two sub categories within the post primary section, Junior
Certificate and Leaving Certificate. The project is free to enter. A student
may enter as an individual or as part of a group or a part of a class entry.
Co-ordinated by myself, one of the key aims of the Project is to
encourage students to explore, investigate and debate their local heritage
(built, archaeological, cultural and natural) in a constructive, active and fun
way. Projects on any aspect of Cork’s rich heritage can be submitted to an
adjudication panel. Prizes are awarded for best projects and certificates are
given to each participant. A cross-section of projects submitted from the last
school season can be gleamed from links on my website, www.corkheritage.ie
where there are other resources, former titles and winners and entry
information as well.
Students produce a project on their local area using primary and
secondary sources. Each participating student within their class receives a
free workshop in October 2021. The workshop comprises a guide to how to put a
project together. Project material must be gathered in an A4/ A3 size Project
book. The project may be as large as the student wishes but minimum 20 pages
(text + pictures + sketches).
Projects must also meet five elements. Projects must be colourful,
creative, have personal opinion, imagination and gain publicity before
submission. These elements form the basis of a student friendly narrative
analysis approach where the student explores their project topic in an
interactive and task-oriented way. In particular, students are encouraged (whilst
respecting social distancing) to attain material through visiting local
libraries, engaging with fieldwork, making models, photographing, cartoon
creating, and making short snippet films of their area. Re-enacting can also be
a feature of several projects.
For over twenty years, the project has evolved in exploring how students
pursue local history and how to make it relevant in society. The project
attempts to provide the student with a hands-on and interactive activity that
is all about learning not only about heritage in your local area (in all its
forms) but also about the process of learning by participating students.
The project is about thinking about, understanding, appreciating and
making relevant in today’s society the role of our heritage, our landmarks, our
oral histories, our environment in our modern world for upcoming citizens. So,
the project is about splicing together activity on issues of local history and
heritage such as thinking, exploring, observing, discovering, researching,
uncovering, revealing, interpreting and resolving.
The project is open to many directions of delivery. Students are
encouraged to engage with their topic in order to make sense of it, understand
and work with it. Students continue to experiment with the overall design and
plan of their work. For example, and in general, students who have entered
before might engage with the attaining of primary information through oral
histories. The methodologies that the students create provide interesting ways
to approach the study of local heritage.
Students are asked to choose one of two extra methods (apart from a
booklet) to represent their work. The first option is making a model whilst the
second option is making a short film. It is great to see students using modern
up todate technology to present their findings. This works in broadening their
view of approaching their project.
This project in the City is free to enter and is kindly funded by Cork
City Council (viz the help of Niamh Twomey, Heritage Officer) Prizes are also
provided by the Old Cork Waterworks Experience, Lee Road.
Overall, the Schools’ Heritage Project for the past twenty years has
attempted to build a new concerned generation of Cork people, pushing them
forward, growing their self-development empowering them to connect to their
world and their local heritage. Spread the word please with local schools.
Details can be found on my dedicated Cork heritage website,
www.corkheritage.ie.
Caption:
1119a. Front cover of 2021-2022 brochure for Discover Cork Schools’
Heritage Project.
The Discover Cork: Schools’ Heritage Project launches in its 20th year and is open to schools in Cork City. Funded by Cork City Council, the Project is an initiative of the Cork City Heritage Plan.
The Project (est. 2002/03) is aimed at both primary and post primary level. Project books may be submitted on any aspect of Cork’s rich past. Suggested topics are over the page. The theme for this year’s project – the 2021/22 school season – is “Cork Heritage Treasures”.
FREE and important project support in the form of funded workshops (socially distanced, virtual or hybrid) led by Cllr Kieran McCarthy in participating schools will be held in October 2021. This is a 45min physical or virtual workshop to give participating students ideas for compilation and resources.
