An Taisce: Demolition is failure of council's responsibilities
The demolition of a number of buildings on Cork's North Main Street will leave a significant gap in the city's historic streetscape, according to the An Taisce Corcaigh, the Cork branch of Ireland's national trust.
On Monday 9 November, Cork City Council announced the demolition of Nos. 62-65 North Main Street, which have long sat derelict, after an engineering report found that the structures were at risk of "significant partial collapse".
However, An Taisce Corcaigh said that the façades "represent the significant vernacular character of the North Main Street Architectural Conservation Area, being situated on a prominent location on the medieval spine of Cork city".
"The proposed demolition of these buildings represents another example of the complete failure of local authorities to ensure that the built heritage of our cities and towns, and in architectural conservation areas in particular, is maintained by property owners," they said.
The buildings, which were vested with Cork City Council in 2022 via Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), were first entered into the derelict sites register in 2015.
In 2019, there was a partial collapse of the structure at No. 63, at which point the council sought independent engineering advice, and stepped in to carry out emergency works. This included the demolition of the rear structures at Nos. 63 and 64, and installing temporary steel supports to stabilise the street-facing façade of both buildings.
An Taisce Corcaigh said that it had been in contact with Cork City Council earlier this year to highlight the urgent need for the retention and rejuvenation of the buildings. They said that they received assurances from the council that this rejuvenation woAuld take place following the conclusion of the tendering process begun in May of this year.
However, following an engineering report conducted as part of this process, it was recommended that the buildings be demolished.
"In our opinion, the current condition of the remaining buildings and retained façades represents an immediate public-safety concern. There is a credible risk of localised structural failure and the potential for more significant partial collapse as deterioration progresses," the report stated.
An Taisce Corcaigh said that it was disappointed to see that the plan was now full demolition.
"We would urge that demolition be minimised as much as possible and confined to those parts of these buildings with an identified public safety risk, with archaeological fabric recorded and retained offsite.
"Every effort should be made to retain as much as possible of this historic streetscape, subject to assessed public safety risks. Future rebuilding also need to be in a style consistent with its prominent location in the old historic centre of Cork City," they said.
This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.