An Bord Pleanála give green light to Greenway upgrade in Passage West - July 2025

Back in November of 2024, Cork County Council published plans for the upgrade of the Greenway in Passage West in Cork Harbour... previous post HERE

 An Bord Pleanála have just given the project the green light with some minor conditions.

Cork County Council said the following about this 2km stretch... “This portion of the Cork Harbour Greenway is an important component of the strategic inter-urban cycleway connecting Carrigaline with Cork City.

The proposed route shall offer a connection to the ferry terminal facilitating access to Carrigaloe, Rushbrook, and Cobh. The proposals will see the extension along the road for pedestrians and cyclists from an average of 2.8m wide to 4m wide.

The proposal to widen the pathway will improve shared usage of the pathway by pedestrian, runners and cyclists.”

Existing Greenway

The key aspect of this upgrade is extending the width from 2.8m to 4m which will allow more space for walkers, runners and cyclists to share the greenway.

This new approval is for the greenway which is in the county. This will join onto another section which will also be upgraded and is in the city. As can be seen from the map below, this connects back to the upgraded greenway in Blackrock.

What does this mean in reality?... In the immediate term, nothing! These projects move at a glacial pace so don't expect to see any work happening soon.

In the near term... say late 2026? 2027?.. then we might see some movement. The big change for users of the greenway in Passage is that it is likely to be closed for 12-months.

The car parks at Robert's Bridge and in the town (marked in blue in the top image) will be used for construction equipment and materials so people can't park there.

There is likely to be a substantial disruption as well to the greenway and car parks in Harty's Quay and Hop Island.

In the long term... say early 2030's... there is going to be a really nice greenway all the way from Passage West to Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Eventually, the plan is for a greenway to stretch from Cork City to Carrigaline.

Council announce plans for upgrade of Greenway in Passage West - Nov 2024

Cork County Council have just announced their plans to upgrade an existing 2km long stretch of Greenway in Passage West. It will go from the Cork County/City boundary to Mariner’s Quay, Passage West and includes widening the existing 2.5m path to 4m.

This follows on from the stretch of Greenway from Mahon over the Douglas Estuary to Rochestown and then east to the city limits. Planning for that section was approved in 2023 and it's just a case of starting it.

A lot of people use these routes for running and exercising and it's very likely that large parts of the Greenway will be closed to the public while the works are going on.

For more information, go to https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/resident/planning-and-development/public-consultations/active-part-xab-development-consultation/part-xab-proposed-passage-west-pedestrian-and-cycle-route-passage-west-co-cork

Other than the plan to widen the Greenway, the biggest change as far as I can see from the drawings is the removal of a car park in Passage West and the reduction of an existing park to facilitate on street parking. 

In time, the plan is to have a Greenway going from Carrigaline to Cork City via Monkstown & Passage West.

Existing 2.5m wide section of Greenway near Passage West

Consultation on proposed uprade to the Mahon to Passage West Greenway - Jan 2021

 

Cork City Council are now carrying out a public consultation about the upgrade of the Greenway from Mahon to Passage West. This is one of the most popular spots in Cork for running, walking and cycling.

In this post, we will look at what is being proposed in two parts...Parking and Routes.

* * *

Parking... Due to the popularity of the current Greenway in Rochestown, the car parks at Harty's Quay and Hop Island are often full and overflowing at the weekends.

a) They propose extending the current car park at Harty's Quay which should roughly double the capacity there. This area is currently an area of young trees so there may be some objections on that front.

b) The second area to the East will be next to the outdoor gym area and will probably be accessed from the existing Harty's Quay car park. I'd imagine that the Council will want to avoid another entrance/exit near such a busy road junction.

The car park which is currently grass will be hugely important for the new proposed café at the old stationmasters house which is just to the east.

c) The third area is located about 250m to the West on what is currently an area covered in grass.

There might be objections from some arguing that more parking just encourages more car ownership but there is going to be a huge demand for car parking for this Greenway in the years ahead.

d) The other new car park is the proposed extension to the existing one at the entrance to Hop Island which is about 500m east of Harty's Quay. Again, this is a car park which overflows at busy periods and any additional spaces are welcome.

Routes... There are five proposed routes for the Greenway in the area from Harty's Quay to Hop Island. Three of these are viable options and two make no sense at all.

Option 1... 

In the near future, the old stationmasters house shown on the map above will be turned into a café and this is likely to be hugely popular. The old railway platform is still there and is likely to be a feature on the improved Greenway.

Rochestown railway station with the old platform and the stationmasters house in the background

 

With option 1, the new Greenway will go north (left in the photo above) of the railway platform, the old stationmasters house and along the back of some houses. It will stay alongside the waters edge for about 250 metres before cutting through the Green area of an estate and out onto the existing Greenway.

View of the proposed Greenway running behind the houses

 

Option 2...

With option 2, the new Greenway will stay next to the water for 400m before emerging through what is now a vacant site and out onto the existing Greenway.

One of the features of any Greenway for many people is the ability to get away from cars, noise and pollution. This is the best option in those terms.

View across Douglas Estuary to Jacobs Island and Mahon

 

View of Hop Island and Little Island beyond

One might wonder why there isn't an option for the new Greenway to stay next to the water as far as Hop Island?

View of the shoreline from Hop Island towards Harty's Quay. Currently not an option.

 

Option 3...

With this option, the existing Greenway is widened and the road is moved slightly to the south. This is probably the option that causes the least disruption but is also one of the most boring in terms of the Greenway being beside a busy road.

There is also an issue with residents parking their cars on the footpath/Greenway at the western end and this is very likely to continue with option 3.

Option 4...

Options 4 & 5 are the brain dead options. They propose putting the Greenway at the southern side of the main road and users will have to cross the road twice to use it! 

Option 5...

Option 5 is similar except it crosses the road at a different point.

The obvious question is why would anyone bother crossing the road to use 250m / 400m of Greenway when they can just stay on the footpath on the northern side of the road???

Another big issue with options 4 & 5 is that from a safety point of view, it encourages users to cross a busy road twice when they really don't have to.

My understanding is that for funding purposes, a Greenway needs to meets certain specifications and this includes a 3-metre width. Options 4 & 5 look like a box ticking exercise in putting the new Greenway anywhere rather than where it might be most useful.

Hop Island to Passage West... For the rest of the Greenway, it's just a case of widening it to I presume 3-metres from the existing 2-metres or so.

"East of Hop Island Car Park, it is proposed to widen the Passage Railway Greenway up as far as the end of this phase of the works at the Cork City/Cork County Boundary. It is proposed to enhance this section of the Passage Railway Greenway as an avenue for biodiversity/wildlife, provide community recreational facilities and improve the vista of the adjacent foreshore. "

Engineers doing a survey on the Hop Island to Passage West Greenway - Jan 2021

Consultation Page... To make a submission, have a look at the Cork County Council website which also has some drawings... https://consult.corkcity.ie/en/consultation/passage-railway-greenway-improvement-scheme-phase-ii

In summary... This welcome improvement to the existing Greenway is expected to be completed sometime in 2022. Of the five route options, only 1, 2 or 3 look realistic with option 2 being the best.

If you are a user of the Greenway in this area then consider making a submission to support it.

Submissions close at 5pm on Friday 5th Feb 2021.

Cork County Council gives Green Light to Lower Harbour Greenway

At a meeting of the Cork County Council this week, Council members approved the plan for the new proposed Greenway from the Cross-River Ferry near Glenbrook to Raffeen Bridge which is on the Passage West to Carrigaline road.

22 Members voted for, 20 Members voted against and 3 abstained.

The proposed Greenway as shown below is expected to cost in the region of €3.5 million and is part of a plan to have a Greenway from Cork City all the way to Carrigaline. Please note that it is subject to government funding and will only commence once the works associated with the Lower Harbour Main Drainage project have been finished.

Let's have a look at this Greenway from a runners point of view...

Notice...Passage West Community 10k road race - Fri 24th Apr 2015

The Passage West Community 10k road race was first held in 2013 and is on this year on Friday the 24th of April at 7:30pm.

Located to the south-east of Cork City and just a 10 minute drive from the South-Ring road, this 10k race is in close proximity to a lot of people...

The course itself takes in waterfront walkways and some country roads to the west of the town. It certainly isn't an easy course and it can be split into two halves. The first 3.5 miles are pretty flat while there are some 'nice' hills in the second half ;o)

The course was measured by Jones Counter and it has an Athletics Ireland licence.

The local GAA club are offering their facilities for registrations, changing area, showers, post race refreshments and prize giving. Supervised car parks are available at the GAA grounds and the Soccer club.

Proceeds from this years race go towards the Cork City Hospitals Children's Club. During the year, they bring sick and deserving children from CUH, Mercy Hospital, St. Gabriel's and the Cork Deaf Association on numerous trips, as well as hosting many fun and exciting events.

To enter and for more info, go to the race website... http://passagewest10k.wordpress.com/

Preview...A full preview of the 10 km course can be seen HERE

Race notice...Passage West Community 10k road race - Fri 25th Apr 2014

Following the success of the inaugural 10k race in Passage West last year, various clubs and organisations in the town have come together again to organise a 10 km race for the 25th of April 2014.

Located to the south-east of Cork City and just a 10 minute drive from the South-Ring road, this 10k race is in close proximity to a lot of people...

The course itself takes in waterfront walkways and some country roads to the west of the town. It certainly isn't an easy course and it can be split into two halves. The first 3.5 miles are pretty flat while there are some 'nice' hills in the second half ;o)

This is a proper road race in every sense of the word. Leevale AC have been involved in getting the course measured properly by Jones Counter. It also has an Athletics Ireland licence.

The local GAA club are offering their facilities for registrations, changing area, showers, post race refreshments and prize giving. Supervised car parks are available at the GAA grounds and the Soccer club.

Proceeds from this years race go towards the Cork City Hospitals Children's Club. During the year, they bring sick and deserving children from CUH, Mercy Hospital, St. Gabriel's and the Cork Deaf Association on numerous trips, as well as hosting many fun and exciting events.

Preview...A full preview of the 10 km course can be seen HERE

Results of the Passage West Community 10 km road race...Fri 17th May 2013

This was a brand new race on the calendar and 200 people turned out for it. Considering that this was one of four local races in a space of four days, it was great to see so many people turn out for this race which raised much needed funds for a good cause.

Position #    Time    Name    Category    Club
1    33:53    John Meade    S    St Finbarrs
2    34:08    Michael Harty    O30    East Cork
3    34:57    Michael Dullea    O30   
15    41:17    Sineád Paley    O40    St Finbarrs   
28    43:07    Ann Marie Healy    O40     St Finbarrs
55    46:26    Rachel O'Callaghan    O30    Fitnessworx

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos.......(Updated Mon 20th @9am)
1) Mick Dooley has a small number HERE
2) Damien Quirke has a gallery HERE 
3) Martin Collins has a gallery HERE

Comments? Did you do this race? Any feedback? .........and what about the 'hills'! ;o)

Race report from Mick Dooley of the Cork BHAA.......
Took part in tonight's race in Passage, it was a very enjoyable event with a great turnout, think about 400 hundred in total made up of 250 entries in the 10k run and 200 hundred taking part in the 5k walk. Many of the 300 may not have run but paid the fee anyhow, think about 200 finishers in the 10k.

In relation to the 10k event, it was certainly a very challenging course. The first 3 miles were fast and flat along the seafront and after that, a never ending 2.5 miles uphill to finish with a downhill to the finish. The 10k was won by John Meade in a time of 33-50 and the ladies race won by Sinead Paley ahead of Ann Marie Healy.

After the race Kate Lonergan's Dad spoke about the progress Kate was having after a series of operations and was emotional when he saw 4 year old Katie take her first steps during the week with the help on an aid. John Lonergan, a Tipperary man living in Piltown Co Kilkenny was over come by the hugh local support for his daughter and praised the people that traveled from Tipperary and Kilkenny and indeed some people from England also. Johns sister Ann Quaid now living in Passage West is the family link in Cork and was delighted  to see her friend Francis Mc Elhinney a juvenile coach in Passage West club put together such a wonderful event. Francis thanked all the community and clubs for the support they had given. Race winner John Meade spoke afterwards of his appreciation and all he more the privilege it was for us to be able to run, and support the cause for Katie Lonergan.

Like any event the the after race party is very important and this one  did not disappoint........drink energy bar and bananas at the finish and then back to the club house for an abundance of fresh made sandwiches and home baking ,presentation of prizes and a lively session of live music, top marks I'd say.

(Photo courtesy of Damien Quirke)

Race notice...Pasage West Community 10k road race - Fri 17th May 2013

This is a brand new road race on the calendar! The Passage West Community 10k road race is coming up on Friday, the 17th of May 2013...

This is on the day after the Fota Cheetah Run so if you didn't manage to get into it, this one might be of interest.

Located to the south-east of Cork City and just a 10 minute drive from the South-Ring road, this 10k race is in close proximity to a lot of people...

The course itself takes in waterfront walkways and some country roads to the west of the town. It certainly isn't an easy course and it can be split into two halves. The first 3.5 miles are pretty flat while there are some 'nice' hills in the second half ;o)

This is a proper road race in every sense of the word. Leevale AC have been involved in getting the course measured properly by Jones Counter. It also has an athletics Ireland licence.

The local GAA club are offering their facilities for registrations, changing area, showers, post race refreshments and prize giving. Supervised car parks are available at the GAA grounds and the Soccer club.

Proceeds from this race go to Katie's Wish to Walk. I'd ask you to spare a few minutes and visit that website. It would be great if you could come along on the night and support the efforts for this special little girl........Friday, 17th May @7:30pm.

More details closer to the date.