A computer generated image of a section of the proposed Wilton Town Centre Project. This is the proposed entrance as viewed from CUH and the Bishopstown Road.

€100m revamp of Wilton centre gets ‘approval’

CONDITIONAL permission has been granted for a €100m revamp of Wilton Shopping Centre, despite objections from the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

The application, by developers, Montlake QIAF Platform IC York Property Fund II, was the subject of a dozen submissions, with support for the project coming from the Cork Business Association (CBA) and the SMA Church, at nearby St Joseph’s Church, who praised the public realm element of the development.

Plans to expand the busy shopping centre were submitted in February and include a major expansion to the northern section of the centre.

The plans include a 190-bed hotel, a 14-screen cinema, a two-storey extension to Penneys and other retail space, as well as an 874-space, multi-level car park.

This has caused concern in Wilton, with residents noting that the busy Wilton Road already handles nine million vehicles each year, or 25,000 per day. This figure could rise by 10%, says John Leahy, a spokesperson for the Wilton Residents’ Association.

While City Hall has plans to re-order the road corridor in the west of the city, to alleviate pressure on the Wilton Road, Mr Leahy said the plan is not good for residents.

However, the CBA has welcomed plans for a new hotel near Cork University Hospital.

Despite this, the Reel Cinema, in Ballincollig, is concerned about a new cinema in Wilton, a 10-minute drive from the west of the city.

In its submission, TII noted what it called an “over-provision” of car-parking spaces, which promotes car-dependency, and the NTA believes the development will affect the city bus network at the Sarfield and Wilton roundabouts.

The transport authority said the development does not set buildings far enough back from the road to allow for additional bus lanes.

It also raised concerns about car-parking and access for cars, and about provision for pedestrians and cyclists.

There were also objections from residential groups and individual residents, who raised concerns about traffic and an estimated “six to eight hours” of congestion on Wilton Road already.

The centre’s 30-year-old existing malls will remain, if the development goes ahead.