Plans for temporary bus depot in Cork's Tivoli Docks
Proposed For Larry At New 150 Would Currently Existing Overcapacity The Provide Depot, At Approximately Depot Picture: Buses Its Parking Street Cummins Capwell
Bus Éireann plans to develop a new temporary depot in the Tivoli Docks due to an “urgent need” for additional space, which is constraining the rollout of the BusConnects programme.
Despite not yet having planning permission, a tender has already been issued for the project which has a construction budget of €8m.
The area earmarked for the depot is on the former Tata Steel site and adjacent lands in the Tivoli Industrial Estate on Cork’s northside.
Currently at overcapacity at its existing Capwell Street depot, the proposed new depot would provide parking for approximately 150 buses.
McCutcheon Halley planners, on behalf of Bus Éireann, had scoured the city to establish the feasibility of 12 proposed sites for the depo and shortlisted nine of them.
Tivoli was chosen as the preferred location because of its suitable size and good existing road network. Planners said that the traffic generated by the bus depot would be less than the previous volume of HGV traffic in the area. They said:
Renovating the existing site will require a fit out of office spaces and a canteen for Bus Éireann staff. Tender documents said that there will be approximately 375 bus drivers in total with 10-15 bus drivers on site at any given time.
Bus Éireann applied for planning permission for a period of seven years for the depot on 2 June 2023, but Cork City Council came back to request further information before it could make a decision on whether or not to grant planning permission.
Singling out 13 specific topics, the council requested further information around the likes of road safety, drainage and clarity that the facility would be temporary in nature.
Cork City Council also requested a bat survey be carried out on the site as the “presence of bats on site cannot be wholly discounted”.
Issuing its call on 27 July, it asked that its request for further information be addressed within six months.
BusConnects Cork is a wide-ranging plan aimed at transforming bus services in the city. It’ll include a dozen “strategic transport corridors”, which are designed to provide a city-wide network of bus corridors and bike lanes. It will also feature a revised bus network.
“BusConnects Cork will deliver an overall increase of 53% in bus services in Cork, two 24-hour bus services, seven all-day frequency bus routes running every 15 minutes or more and provision of bus services to previously unserved areas such as Upper Glanmire, Waterfall, and Kerry Pike,” tender documents said.
However, the proposals have also proven controversial, with the reporting in May on calls for a third round of public engagements on the contentious plans.
Opposition in particular to the strategic transport corridor routes has appeared in areas such as Blackpool, Douglas Road, and Beaumont.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has previously admitted there will be a “battle” ahead to ensure the Cork plans succeed.