| Socio Economic Profile of Cork Harbour |
Cork Harbour influences, and is influenced by, the lives of the people of Cork City and its surrounding towns and villages such as Blackrock, Monkstown, Passage West, Crosshaven, Ringaskiddy, Cobh and Aghada.
The Harbour area is characterised by a strong concentration of development, where increasing economic prosperity and population growth have occurred over the past decade. Projected rises in population for the Greater Cork Area will continue to have repercussions for urban areas around the Harbour, which are in prime locations relative to Cork City.
Harbour towns are generally well connected by road (e.g. the N25 on the north side of the Harbour, and the N28 on the south side of the Harbour) and a rail service connects Cork to Cobh. Proposals to initiate a water taxi service to link the Lower Harbour with the City Centre by 2010 will further improve access. |
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The Greater Cork Area is designated as a national Gateway under the Irish National Spatial Strategy, based on the strategic importance of the City and the Harbour area, including the Port of Cork. Quality of life for residents living around the Harbour is enhanced by opportunities for employment in coastal sectors such as shipping, marine services, petro-chemicals, power generation and marine recreation. The Harbour itself provides a natural public amenity. Natural assets enjoyed by local communities include an attractive coastline and a rich maritime heritage.
Cork Harbour is steeped in maritime heritage. The Lower Harbour is strongly influenced by naval heritage. Military fortifications include the impressive forts which mark the entrance to the Harbour; Camden Fort (renamed Fort Meagher, 1938) and Carlisle Fort (renamed Fort Davis, 1938).
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Other fortifications include installations on Spike Island, Rocky Island and Fort Templebreedy. There are also five Martello Towers, dating to the Napoleanic era located in the Harbour.
Cork Harbour continues to be influenced by naval activities; Haulbowline Island has been the headquarters of the Irish Naval Service since the withdrawal of the British Royal Navy in 1938. The heritage town of Cobh, formally known as Queenstown, is intertwined with the Titanic, the Lusitania and emigration. Cobh overlooks Spike Island, which is steeped in history influenced by its strategic location within the Harbour. |
Historic records for Spike Island date back to the 7th century, when a monastic settlement was located there. At one stage, convicts were held on the Island prior to deportation to Van Diemans Land. Since the closure of the contemporary prison on Spike Island in 2005, local campaigners have been lobbying for access to, and redevelopment of, the island as a tourism and heritage destination.
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The development of marine tourism and recreation activities in Cork Harbour is dependent on maintaining good environmental quality standards. Water quality in the Upper Harbour has been improved by the engineering works conducted under the Cork Main Drainage Scheme, which included the implementation of an integrated sewage treatment facility at Carrigrennan. Plans are currently underway to improve sewage facilities in the lower part of the Harbour. European Directives such as the Water Framework Directive and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive stipulate management approaches that have to be applied to maintain good water quality status.
Conservation areas are monitored by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a remit to regulate discharges from industrial activities around the Harbour. The proposed Indaver waste incinerator for the Ringaskiddy area is a particularly contentious environmental issue within the Harbour at the time of writing. Fortunately, there have been no major environmental incidents in Cork Harbour in recent years. An oil spillage in the Lower Harbour in 1997 had minimum environmental consequences due to the scale of the incident and favourable weather conditions for dispersal at the time. Previously contaminated brownfield sites, such as the former Irish Steel (ISPAT) site on Haulbowline Island, are currently undergoing remediation. Flooding is a significant issue in Cork Harbour. Flooding has negative social and economic implications, especially for residents and business owners in vulnerable areas of the City Centre, where the problem is intensified during certain environmental conditions. The Office of Public Works have commissioned a review of flood management options for Cork Harbour, including the potential for a flood barrage to prevent against extreme conditions that may arise in light of future climate change. Decision-makers are faced with the need to develop adaptive management techniques for these types of scenarios. |
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