THE PORT of Cork yesterday announced that it had selected a site at Ringaskiddy in Cork harbour as the most suitable location for the development of its container traffic business
This followed a review of its long-term development plan.
According to Port of Cork chairman Dermot O’Mahoney a site adjacent to the existing ferry terminal at Ringaskiddy and already owned by the port was deemed the most suitable location for container traffic business, which is currently based at Tivoli further up Cork harbour.
The identification of the Ringaskiddy site comes on foot of a review of the port’s strategic development plan after An Bord Pleanála refused permission to the Port of Cork for the development of a container traffic terminal at another part of Ringaskiddy.
The Port of Cork had applied to the board under the Strategic Infrastructure Act for permission to develop the new terminal on a 37-hectare site at Oysterbank in Ringaskiddy in the lower harbour to replace the existing Tivoli terminal
However, following a 15-day-long oral hearing, the board ruled against the proposal in June 2008, arguing that the Ringaskiddy site was not adequately served by a road network capable of taking the extra traffic that would be generated by the container traffic business.
It was unclear yesterday how the Port of Cork proposed to address the issue of the road network in its latest proposal, which also involves the location of bulk operations at the deep-water berth in Ringaskiddy.
The review also recommended the development of a bulk and general cargo site at the former IFI plant at Marino Point near Cobh on the other side of the harbour and pointed out that if acquired, the Marino Point site also had the potential to accommodate bulk liquids trade.
Mr O’Mahoney said that the review had involved consultation with stakeholders around Cork harbour and it took account of tourism, environmental, infrastructural and leisure and amenity concerns before reaching its recommendations.
A total of 13 potential port sites around Cork harbour had been identified but this was narrowed down to a shortlist of five, from which the locations at Ringaskiddy ferry terminal, the deep water berth and the Marino Point site had been identified for different cargo types.
Irish Times
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