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Public Consultation No. 3

Public Consultation No. 3 on the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor ran from 02 July to 29 August 2025 and is now closed.

The information available as part of this consultation is available here.

The Project Team are reviewing the submissions and feedback received through Public Consultation No. 3 and working towards the conclusion of Phase 2 activities.

Project updates will be posted on the Project Website in due course.

Please consider using the Contact Us tab to get in touch with the Project Team.

Introduction

Cork County Council are in the early stages of developing  the Cork to Kinsale Greenway. This project, which is funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), will provide a Greenway between Cork City and Kinsale. Arup has been appointed by Cork County Council to provide multi-disciplinary engineering and other specialist consultancy services to progress the project through the design process, following the Phases 1-4 of the TII Project Management Guidelines, which are outlined below: 

  • Phase 1 (Concept and Feasibility) – Complete
  • Phase 2 (Options Selection)
  • Phase 3 (Design and Environmental Evaluation)
  • Phase 4 (Statutory Processes)

The Project is currently at Phase 2 Options Selection.

Public Consultation No. 2 presented a range of potential greenway route options between Cork and Kinsale. Since then, the project team has carried out further assessments to help identify the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor (EPRC).

The greenway is expected to significantly enhance year-round tourism by attracting both local and visiting users, delivering a major boost to towns and villages along the route. It will also contribute to the conservation of cultural heritage through sensitive refurbishment of historic railway structures, such as the Chetwynd Viaduct and Goggins Hill Tunnel. The EPRC has been identified to maximise the potential for connecting communities with key local destinations, including schools, GAA facilities, and nearby villages, thereby supporting active travel and contributing to wider project objectives relating to accessibility, social inclusion, and community wellbeing.

Public Consultation No. 3 is being held to give the public an opportunity to review the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor, ask questions, and share their views to ensure local knowledge and feedback are fully considered in the Preferred Route Corridor and development of potential greenway alignments

The interactive web map of the proposed route corridor options and study area can be viewed here.

Project Background

The Cork to Kinsale Greenway project seeks to provide a new Greenway which will create connectivity between Cork City and Kinsale and provide a structure for future greenway routes in the area. The project will link and improve accessibility to several significant tourist attractions along the route and include the refurbishment of Chetwynd Viaduct and Ballinhassig Tunnel.

This Project forms part of an overall vision and strategy for the development of an integrated network of greenways and blueways, as outdoor recreational amenities, for the Southern region. Examples of adjacent projects which may provide connectivity with this Greenway are the proposed West Cork Greenways and the Cork City to Viaduct Greenway.

Initial studies for this project have identified a necessity to provide a link between two important tourist destinations, Kinsale and Cork City via a corridor exclusively for non-motorised journeys, while also acting as an Active Travel route for local communities for commuting purposes along its route. While this project will utilise works previously undertaken it will formally appraise viable options that would provide a public walking / cycling trail linking these destinations to ensure that advantages and disadvantages of the various options are considered, and the emerging preferred option represents the best solution.

Key Objectives

The key objectives of this project are to provide a Greenway which is sustainable, accessible, safe and attractive for locals and visitors. In achieving these objectives, the project will in turn:

  • Contribute to the economic prosperity between Cork and Kinsale and environs by increasing its attractiveness for locals and visitors. Provide an improved level of accessibility and intermodal connectivity to key services.
  • Provide an improved level of social benefit & interaction for communities including vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.
  • Promote physical activity in a safe outdoor environment and promote improvements in wellbeing.
  • Improve safety for non-motorised users and reduce the risk of collisions.
  • Consider sustainable development principles to minimise effects on the environment.
  • Seek to enhance the local amenity and heritage value of the area.

What’s Happening Now

This project is currently at Phase 2 Option Selection. As outlined in TII’s Project Management Manual for Greenway Projects (PE-PMG-02047, May 2025) The purpose of Phase 2 is to carefully examine a range of feasible route options in order to identify an Emerging Preferred Route Corridor (EPRC) that best meets the project’s objectives.

The Options Selection Process

Project Appraisal Matrix

The corridor options that were presented at Public Consultation No. 2 were evaluated by undertaking an appraisal of these options against specific criteria in accordance with PAG Unit: 13.0 Appraisal of Active Modes. including:

  • Transport user benefits and other economic impacts
  • Accessibility improvements
  • Social impacts
  • Land use considerations
  • Safety impacts
  • Climate change implications
  • Local environmental impacts

Emerging Preferred Route Corridor

  • After completion of the appraisal above, an Emerging Preferred Route Corridor (EPRC) for the project has been identified. The Emerging Preferred Route Corridor is presented at Public Consultation No. 3. By rigorously assessing the above criteria, the project team can ensure that the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor delivers the greatest possible benefit providing a safe, accessible, and sustainable route that supports local communities and protects the surrounding environment

Public Consultation No.3 on the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor is taking place from 2 July – 15 August 2025. There will be three in-person public consultation events where the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor will be presented to the public and the project team will be available to answer questions and receive feedback. The consultation is being held online over a longer period on the dedicated project website that includes a feedback page for the submission of comments or queries and an interactive map displaying the proposed options, Emerging Preferred Route Corridor and Constraints and Opportunities within the study area.

Public consultation remains an important part of advancing the development of an appropriate solution, and we continue to value the public’s input and engagement.

Please refer to the Consultation Tab for further information here.

Next Steps

As the next step, following the feedback gathered during Public Consultation No. 3, the Project Liaison Officer will begin direct engagement with individual landowners whose lands are located within the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor.

This one-to-one engagement ensures that local knowledge, concerns, and insights are fully considered, helping to refine and finalise the Preferred Route Corridor and subsequent greenway alignments in a way that balances the project’s goals with the needs of the local community and minimises potential impacts wherever possible.