Good news for Cork city yesterday as the Part 8 Planning for the €46 million Grand Parade Quarter redevelopment gained approval by Cork City councillors, along with the Beamish and Crawford Quarter and Bishop Lucey Park Regeneration Schemes.
Bishop Lucey Park, commonly known as ‘Peace Park’ will be getting a complete makeover, based on an award-winning architectural design by Belfast firm Hall McKnight Architects. The new design will open up the park to the wider city centre area, with a re-imagined layout inside, complete with a viewing tower, a pavilion, and steps connecting the park to Grand Parade under the original medieval wall threshold.
Speaking about the award-winning design, Tony Duggan, City Architect, Cork City Council, said: “The winning entry is an inclusive design with something to offer all ages, and it opens up the park to the city, creating a central “soft space”, with a wildflower meadow, right in the city centre while still being sensitive to the medieval history of the site, emphasising the existing city walls within the site itself. It is particularly impressive how cleverly this design integrates the heritage of the city within a modern scheme.”
The Grand Parade Quarter Project, which was announced mid-July, will also see an intense redevelopment, with a complete renewal of the area around the southern gateway, connecting Grand Parade, a series of historic lanes, streets, and Bishop Lucey Park with the south channel of the River Lee.
South Main Street is also set for renewal with the creation of a large-scale public space which will open up the Counting House on the Beamish and Crawford site, along with the creation of new pedestrian and cycle lanes in the space. A new ‘Greening Strategy’ will also further enhance the area with the addition of new street trees along footpaths and roadways, complete with low-level planting beds and planters to brighten up the area.
The final element of the redevelopment project will see the design of a brand new state-of-the-art public city library in the Grand Parade area.