THE first steps in progressing a by-pass for the northern quadrant of Bandon has received a significant boost following funding of €30,000 from the Department of Transport, a recent meeting heard.

Municipal District manager Padraig Barrett told councillors at a meeting of Bandon Kinsale Municipal District that this funding will allow them to prepare a Project Outline Document (POD).

‘It’s basically a business case to prove the need exists for a northern relief road in the town and we need to document that,’ he said.

He also confirmed that they have been successful in getting funding to look at outer relief roads for Kinsale and said that the selection route for the next phase of the town’s southern relief road will be published next month.

This follows a public consultation held in Bandon Town Hall last November, while funding of €650,000 was announced last month to progress the Southern Relief Road to planning stage, a project which first started over 30 years ago.

The scheme will comprise an extension of the existing relief road, varying from 1km to 7km in length to the south and west of Bandon, depending on the final preferred route option

‘Bandon will be in the unusual situation whereby two roads are being looked at the same time,’ he added.

Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) welcomed the funding for a northern by-pass and said all councillors have spoken previously about the huge bottleneck that is occurring in that part of the town, which has also seen significant housing developments built in recent years.

‘It will mean that we will have two major road infrastructural projects in Bandon. I would have liked for the southern by pass to be finished by now before we start on the northern part of the town but so be it,’ said Cllr Coughlan.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council said afterwards that the proposed North Bandon Connectivity & Access Corridor aims to deliver a new transport link to the north of Bandon, designed to support the town’s long-term growth and enhance overall mobility in the area.

‘The proposed corridor will improve access and connectivity to both existing and future development lands, including residential and industrial zones. It is also intended to provide an alternative east-west route for heavy commercial vehicles and passenger traffic, thereby reducing congestion within Bandon town centre.’

The money allocated comes under the Strategic Regional and Local Road category for 2026 to support the development of a Project Outline Document (POD), which represents an important first step in advancing the scheme.

‘Preparation of a POD is a requirement under the Transport Appraisal Framework (TAF), representing a key early step in progressing the project.