1 September 2021
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Colm Kelleher is officially launching 8 recently installed city parklets this week, on August 31st and September 2nd.
Following a call-out for “parklet partners” in September 2020, a number of local businesses and community associations were selected to take part in the National Transport Authority-funded scheme. The parklets, designed by Siobhán Keogh Design and built by Benchspace Cork, are then planted and maintained by the “parklet partners”, with funding for their upkeep administered by the City Council.
L-R: Cian O’Driscoll (Benchspace Cork), Siobhán Keogh (SKD Design) , Lord Mayor Of Cork, Cllr. Colm Kelleher, Maeve Murphy (Benchspace) , James Gunter ( Events Manager, Imperial Hotel Cork) Bastien Peyraud (General Manager, Imperial Hotel, Cork), John Hayes (Economic Development Directorate,
Cork City Council), Donal Guerin (Economic Development Section, Cork City Council) and Christy Buckley
(Concierge at The Imperial Hotel, Cork). Pic Resolute Photography
Front Row L-R: John Hayes (Economic Development Directorate,
Cork City Council), Siobhán Keogh (SKD Design), Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Colm Kelleher, Maeve Murphy (Benchspace) and Cian O’Driscoll (Benchspace Cork). Back Row L-R: Paul Walsh (Owner, 3 Little Piggies cafe) and Donal Guerin (Economic Development Section, Cork City Council). PIc: Resolute Photography
In May of this year, Cork City Council announced that it was looking to provide up to six new parklets in the greater metropolitan area and the applications for these additional parklets are currently being assessed.
The Lord Mayor said: “The feedback to date is that there is a huge welcome for the parklets with every indication that they are being used on a daily basis by pedestrians. The success of the parklets is not possible without the dynamism and commitment of the partners. Their ‘hands on’ presence ensures that the parklets remain as vibrant oases of bio-diversity and a place of rest and recuperation in our busy City.”
The parklets have converted several on-street parking spaces into public open space and are a cost-effective way to create more vibrant streets, promote economic vitality, and provide an inviting green space for residents and passers-by to sit, relax, and interact. Providing greening on the urban street and encouraging biodiversity are two key elements of the parklets project.
The intention is for planting is to be maintained in the parklets at all times, and the majority (if not all) of this planting should be “pollinator friendly”.
