A LOCAL councillor is calling on the people of Bandon to get actively involved and have their say in a new development plan, which should transform the town.
A LOCAL councillor is calling on the people of Bandon to get actively involved and have their say in a new development plan, which should transform the town.
Cllr Kevin Murphy was speaking following the first public consultation, which was held in Bandon Town Hall recently, for the Bandon Transportation and Public Realm Enhancement Plan (Bandon T-PREP).
The vision for the plan is to create a vibrant town centre, encourage greater levels of walking and cycling, reduce congestion by providing for sustainable transport and to improve ‘public realm shared space’.
‘This is a one-off for the town of Bandon and we only have one stab at it. It will put the town back on the map and will be of immense benefit,’ said Cllr Murphy.
‘In general terms, there has been very good feedback from the public arising from the first public consultation. No doubt the planned sewage and flood relief schemes that are due to happen will upset it a bit, but the plan should be ready to go ahead once they are finished.’
There was a steady flow of people at the event to see what the plan envisages for the town and they were invited to fill out questionnaires so they, too, could have their say on what they want from such a plan.
JB Barry and Partners, in association with SYSTRA Ltd, have been commissioned to assist Cork County Council with the preparation of the plan.
The plan will determine the transport interventions required to resolve existing traffic and transport issues, including current levels of traffic congestion, parking and safety issues in the town and to ensure the sustainable future development of the Bandon area.
When completed, the study will make recommendations on the short to medium term interventions required to improve the town centre public realm for residents and visitors of Bandon.
‘The response rate has been great and we expect more to come in. We have no feedback as yet as we are just beginning to tabulate the data,’ said Tim Delaney of JB Barry, speaking to The Southern Star.
‘We have no plans prepared at this stage for the project, as we are just trying to gather information and build our traffic model, but the public can still fill out our questionnaire,’ he added.
The closing date for submissions on the first consultation is May 15th and for anyone who could not attend the public consultation process, they can email their comments to [email protected] or write to Tim Delaney at JB Barry and Partners Ltd, Benchmark Business Centre, 3 Eastgate Road, Co Cork.
A second public consultation will take place on November 27th and the closing date for submissions on this is January 8th 2016.
Log onto www.corkcoco.ie to complete the questionnaire electronically.
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