Land buy ‘would be welcome news’

Cork City Council has indicated it is interested in buying land in Montenotte for use as public park.

During a meeting of Cork City Council on Monday, Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran asked officials about the steps taken to purchase the land at Ennismore.

Ennismore House and the surrounding land were put on the market for sale in September by the Dominican Fathers.

Deputy Chief Executive Brian Geaney said officials are aware of progress by a 3rd party with respect to the acquisition of the property at Ennismore, Montenotte. However, he confirmed the city is in continued engagement with the proposed landowners.

These discussions put the provision of a public park “front and centre” of the future sustainable use of these properties, he said.

Asked by Cllr Moran if this means the city is aiming to purchase the land, Mr Geaney confirmed that it was so.

Speaking afterwards, Cllr Moran said this purchase of the land would be welcome news for the community: “Since news that Ennismore was being put for sale became known, I've been in regular contact with residents and officials about the sale. There's great interest in the community in establishing a public park here and putting the practice that the Dominican Fathers allowed of the public using the grounds on a secure footing.”

Cllr Moran added: “The North East Ward has the Glen River Park and Murphy's Rock is now being recognised for the gem that it is, but the ward is still very poorly served by green spaces generally. The pandemic really brought that home to many people and spaces like Ennismore became all-the-more important because of it.

“There's great opportunity in the site to marry a socially conscious use of the house with the public enjoyment of the land. That would continue the tradition of openness that the Dominican Fathers established on the site into the future,” concluded the Green Party Councillor.