This is really intriguing. The County Development Plan was revised just over a year ago to accommodate the Park and Ride, this was a very public process. The map shows the new Park and Ride facility wedged up against the North East of the Dunkettle Interchange, but amazingly this sailed through at the time.
I was at an exhibition of RPA / Cork Co Co's plans for an upgrade to Dunkettle Road last week, and when I queried the fact that footpaths did not continue all the way to the railway site I was told that O'Flynn's would be providing these as part of their massive development (which does not have planning permission).
It seems also that a slip road will be built coming from Cork, underneath the N8 North of the Dunkettle Interchange, to allow fast access FROM THE CITY to the Park and Ride, logical or what? Again provided by O'Flynn's!
The North Esk freight yard has plenty of space for a Park and Ride, and would not impinge on any junction upgrade. It would however make O'Flynn's proposal (1200 "units") seem less sustainable as it would massively reduce the amount of it within 20 minutes walk of the station, the guideline that they themselves are touting as ideal.
There is more than just a lack of joined up thinking going on here.
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