In late August, Cork County Council announced a draft plan for the development of the Cork Science and Innovation Park...details HERE
As you can see from the map above, it covers a substantial area including the routes normally used by runners......shown in blue.
If it is developed, it should look something like this...
The current Farm running routes are shown in orange
Needless to say, it raises lots of questions....
Will it be developed in the current economic climate?
Will the new park have any suitable running routes or will it be lost for good?
The complete plan (large) in PDF format can be seen HERE
5 comments:
This would be a backwards step in the development of sport. The farm is always busy and there is no other facility in the city to my knowledge that could fill its place.Personally, the farm was instrumental in my recovery from injury and without that facility I might not be running today.
This would never be tolerated in Europe. Have we not learned from the mistakes of the past 20 years? This is an area of incredible worth and value in the spiritual sense, not only to the college and it's students, but to the whole of Cork. Who has not played football, rugby, cricket and run in peace on a sunday morning in this place. I played soccer, rugby, refereed rugby and now, having discovered running, spend many thoughtful hours lost in this wilderness within my city. I often tell myself how lucky we are in this city to have a place like this. I, and countless others, are eternally grateful to UCC and the staff there for allowing us to run but I suppose it adds to the safety of the place as I would gladly defend it from all vandals without a second thought. Leave us these places of sport and solitude, they are b eing taken from us again.
Can we lobby against this or is it too late?
Hi John,
Great post, it would be a real shame (not just for runners) if the Farm were bulldozed. For my money it is one of the best surfaces for running on in the county, if not the country.
There are other places you can run off road in Cork but nowhere of the same quality in my opinion. You raised a key point in your post too- access - how many other green sites are behind high concrete walls or locked gates (Pres Fields would be a great spot, if you could get in!, likewise the new CIT pitches just across the river ). I would be worried that if the development gets the go ahead and the pitches relocated, the first thing that would happen would be that access would be restricted.
I acknowledge of course how welcome this development would be in terms of employment but as above, there aren’t many, if any, places like the farm and it would be such a pity to see it go.
Is anyone in the know aware if commitments or contingencies have been made for users to be able to continue to avail of this fabulous facility…?
Fergal.
Runners soccer players, gaelic players,hurlers,dog walkers ,golfers,American football players,rugby players,tag rugby players,cricketers,frisby users and more take note that CorkCoCo have this plan to prevent you from enjoying this marvellous facility!
Forget the fact that there are thousands of suitable fields around the city that are ripe for development-they want to take yours!Forget about the contingencies dont give it up in the first place!
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