Marina Park in Cork embodies many facets of the city. It fulfils the long-standing promise of creating a regional park to the east of the city. Like many former industrial cities, Cork has significant decommissioned industrial areas along the river, adjacent to its city centre. Today, these areas present an opportunity for residential development and the redevelopment of public spaces. Marina Park is a key component in Cork’s ambition to develop its docklands industrial area into a lively and integrated neighbourhood for the city.

Reclaiming Cork's culture and heritage

Marina Park reveals the story of land reclaimed from the River Lee and shaped by Cork’s maritime and industrial heritage. It occupies a former brownfield site comprising largely derelict showground buildings, a Gaelic sports stadium, a disconnected waterfront and a rundown natural zone. The revitalisation of the industrial pavilion gives this legacy a renewed civic purpose, while historic walls, former quays, monuments and restored riverside connections are woven into the landscape, preserving tangible links to the city’s past and reinforcing the area's unique relationship with water. The project brings reclaimed land full circle, from river to park, industry and public landscape once again.

Based on our overall vision, the park brings together three distinct landscapes: the socially active Urban Park, the 13-hectare Eco-Park and the car-free Marina Promenade. Together, they combine civic life, ecological restoration and flood resilience within a single evolving public landscape.

Embracing the water: an adaptable park
Water has shaped Cork’s identity as both a lifeline and a threat. Following generations of flooding, Marina Park redefines this relationship through a landscape-led approach to sustainability, climate resilience, urban adaptation and nature-based design. The park gives space back to water, transforming flood infrastructure into a defining public asset.

Water becomes the backbone of the park. A network of streams, swales, basins, ponds and wetlands function as an integrated Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS), capturing, slowing, storing and filtering stormwater during extreme events. These nature-based solutions reduce flood risk, improve water quality, support resilience during dry periods and play a vital role as a 'sponge landscape', for the park, the surrounding residential areas, and future dockland development. By making water visible, the park transforms climate adaptation into a tangible landscape experience.

Encouraging movement: The Urban Park
The Urban Park transforms a former industrial site into a vibrant public destination as the most urban and multi-functional part of the park, combining flexible event spaces, play, recreation and social gathering areas. At its heart, the restored historic Showgrounds Central Hall has been repurposed as the park's social hub where the different access points for the park meet, creating a focal point for community activity and cultural events. A grid of fountains creates a creative play object as an attractive meeting point in the park.

An integrated blue-green framework: The Eco-park
From the urban western edge, the landscape becomes progressively more natural before meeting the river. The Eco-Park functions as the Docklands' ecological and hydrological infrastructure, driving long-term sustainability and landscape regeneration. A resilient mosaic of woodland, meadow, marsh, grassland and ponds create an ecological network within the city. Soil restoration and hydrological recovery underpin the park’s ecological performance, improving biodiversity and overall health. Reduced intervention, seasonal management and natural succession allow habitats to mature and diversify, creating a self-sustaining ecological framework that supports wildlife and strengthens climate resilience.

The eco-park introduces diverse highlights like picnic areas, adventure zones, playgrounds and restored heritage sites, expanding recreational offerings amid nature. Formal and informal pathways welcome visitors to a dynamic experience, while the Atlantic Pond area sees improvements in both landscape and amenities.

Marina promenade
This promenade has existed since the mid-18th century, used as a tracking wall to guide ships up the River Lee to Cork Harbour, but later was taken over by car traffic. Marina Promenade successfully transforms 1.8 km of neglected waterfront into a high-quality, safe and attractive route for active travel. New plazas and river balconies, heritage restoration and ecological enhancement, and park connections establish it as both a strategic mobility corridor and a civic destination. 

Connecting rowing clubs, historic boathouses and local running events, it provides a shared setting where long-established waterside traditions remain visible, accessible and embedded within the city’s evolving docklands. The promenade provides a unique attraction for Cork city and serves to integrate the Marina Park, the Passage Railway Greenway and the new developments of Blackrock Village and Docklands. 

Healthy living

Marina Park promotes healthy living by combining vibrant public spaces for
movement and play with quieter areas for rest and recovery, from active promenades and open lawns to shaded woodland clearings and calm waterside edges. This
balance supports both physical activity and everyday wellbeing, encouraging people to reconnect with nature as part of daily life.

Aligned with the city’s vision for sustainable growth in balance with natural preservation, Marina Park invites exploration of an area where history, nature, and contemporary life coexist. Positioned a short distance from the city centre, the completed park spans 70 acres, significantly expanding Cork’s green spaces. As a green stage for activity, it is set to be a driving force in Cork’s development as a climate-adaptive, sustainable and healthy city.