Developments in Cork

Vernon Mount on danger list

By Sean O’Riordan Irish Examiner
THE Irish Georgian Society is proposing to put a historic mansion in Cork on an international list of endangered buildings in an effort to force its owner to carry out significant repairs.

Donough Cahill, deputy director of the Irish Georgian Society, confirmed yesterday that his organisation is to submit Vernon Mount to the World Monuments Watch list of 100 most endangered sites.

That organisation is the foremost private, non-profit making group in the world dedicated to the preservation of endangered architectural and cultural sites.

Vernon Mount, in Douglas, was built in 1784 and is owned by Jonathan Moss, a multi-millionaire businessman who lives in the US.

“In spite of its beauty, its significance and its status as a protected structure, Vernon Mount now stands empty and in a desperate state of neglect.

“Window panes are smashed throughout the house, there is a large hole in the roof, and the gutters and down pipes, where they exist, are largely broken and ineffective,” said Mr Cahill.

The Irish Georgian Society and others have been lobbying for action to save the house, but so far to no avail. Legal notices were issued by Cork County Council requiring repair works to be carried out, but it is understood that nothing has yet been done.

In recent months council officials have been having discussions with Mr Moss’s representatives in an effort to resolve the situation. Mr Moss couldn’t be contacted yesterday and a council spokeswoman said she was not in a position to say how the talks were proceeding

Does anyone know what happened to the famous knitted map of Cork?

former mcsweeneys yard in docklands refused planning for 5 storey building for 31 apts – reasons for refusal were height, massing, effect on views, lack of amenity space but to be fair the planners and Docklands Directorate mentioned that they had no objection to residential going in there but the design could be better.

Its good that a lot of attention is being paid to getting the designs in the area right from day one, i dont know the circumstances but a really positive step to kicking off the docklands would be for planners and docklands directorate to sit down in preplanning with the developer and architect, thrash out an agreement on planning and design and fasttrack the plan then as a show of encouragement to kick off the area

New National Devt plan out today, was curious to see if Cork got a mention – some things included are a focus on the Docklands (but when) in terms of relocating the port, putting in transport etc. Other items mentioned

Completion by 2010 of the M/N8 Dublin – Cork road to full motorway standard and other road
and public transport aspects of Transport 21;

The development, as part of the CASP Strategy of an integrated public transport system built
around the Green Route programme of improved bus priority,

the re-opening of the Cork City-Midleton rail service by 2008 and the development of commuter rail services on the Mallow-Midleton corridor;

Introduction of hourly rail services on the Cork-Dublin route;

Roads, water services, port relocation and associated infrastructure to facilitate docklands
regeneration;

Improved road and bus-based public transport links to Cork airport;

Enhancement of road links to other Gateways along the Atlantic Road Corridor;

The upgrading of N28 road access to Ringaskiddy Port and its associated industrial zone (has been mentioned numerous time – last I heard about that is the earliest it would start is 2009 and be finished 2011- pretty dire for the most car dependant town in the country, carrigaline)

Pedestrianisation and similar urban renewal activity, building on recent progress in this area;
Enhancement of tourism, cultural and recreational facilities;

Lands at Ringaskiddy and Carrigtohill to be developed by IDA Ireland as part of its Strategic
Sites Initiative; and

Continued development of the City’s R&D capacity such as the recently opened Tyndall
Institute.

• The development of the Atlantic Road Corridor from Letterkenny through Sligo, Galway, Limerick,
Cork and Waterford;

Upgrading the Belfast-Dublin-Cork Trans European Network (TENs) link route through the removal of speed
restrictions has been identified as a priority

yep, most of those things were already announced or are already happening, shows Cork getting nothing from FF for next 7 years, what they missed out on was

1. Project team for pre planning and fast tracking of docklands
2. Tram or massive increase in bus frequency from pivotal points like ballincollig, douglas, Ballyvolane, Glanmire, Passage, carrigaline (current service here about 1 an hour and thats on peak times on saturdays)
3. The N28 road has been announced numerous times and as per presentation to the carrigaline area committee recently, wont start at the least until 2009 if all goes well and wouldnt finsh therefore until 2011 – thats 5 years more waiting in the most car dependant town in Ireland
4. Announcement on how the govt intend to pay for the debt they promised to take over re cork airport
5. Funding to change kent Station towards the quays
6. Broadband mentioned a lot, big dependance on the Metropolitan Area Networks being finished, some not even started yet
7. Bus funding for nightlinks
8. Project team and funding for redevelopment of Pairc Ui Caoimh into multi sport 35-50,000 seater stadium

and many more

@Angry Rebel wrote:

Not a lot for Cork so in terms of concrete and new ideas.

These plans make me cynical about politics, e.g.

– Docklands?! To quote Greg Coughlan of Howard Holdings last week, we’re 6 years into a 20 year Docklands strategy and what have we done so far? Zero!
–
😡

The Docklands redevelopment will be put on the long, long finger as long as local councilors and officials are taken on all expenses paid junkets to Finland, Sweden, UK, Germany etc to “see how it’s done”. Greg Coughlan of Howard Holdings aired the frustration of many last week in the local press regarding the lack of movement in the Docklands.
As I posted before, the Port of Cork cannot be allowed to hold the city to ransom by refusing to relocate downriver, but as long as the POC have local councilors on their board and Minister Martin appoints the likes of ex Councillor Tim Falvey to the POC board Cork can only continue to move backwards (or at best stand still), this is totally unacceptable.
Has the POC listed building on Custom House Quay fallen into the Lee yet due to years of neglect?

im not totally against fianna fail becausee in fairness they have brought this country on alot in recent years but they are way to dublin centralised and no one seems to try and be changing this! luas,dart extension, metro and i could go on and on etc and cork supposodly the second city gets jack only old promises from years ago! the cork politicians should be standing up more in my opinion but there all afraid cause theres no argument as “dublin needs it”, what a load of bollox! There always on about proper panning and thats why cork should be getting the infrastructure now rather than letting it get clogged up more and then paying more for it and saying that should of been done years ago! the way cork is getting treated recently is disgracefull, flyovers on the southlink promised, airport debt (dublins getting a new terminal and metro) and they cant evan have the decency to let cork know whats happening, northern link road, ringaskiddy and again i could go on and on! Closer to home the city manager should stop fussing about the location of the events centre and get it done before losing out to limerick as the city reeally needs this! Just wonderiong aswell whats peoples view on the election, what party do people think would be best for Cork?

Traffic problems in the vicinity of the CUH in Wilton are due to go from bad to worse if the Cork Fire Services / Health and Safety concerns for the new basement car park adjacent to the new maternity unit are not resolved.
It seems that the ceiling height and access are adequate for a stand alone car park but the high dependency nature of the maternity unit and the logistics of evacuation were not factored in at the design / planning stage.
It looks as if the car park will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

The camp field was disposed of as an amenity to local residents. Not for building….so far.

@goldiefish wrote:

The camp field was disposed of as an amenity to local residents. Not for building….so far.

The old Lee Baths on the Carrighrohane Road (now the Kingsley Hotel) was left to the people of Cork by a Grant of Perpetuity in the care of Cork Corporation, now Cork City Council by the Jennings family.
Despite Councillors refusing to agree to the sale to developers on the first attempt in 1994 the sale came before council (Nice Treaty?) again in 1997 and the sale approved for 500,000 pounds.
I would not bank on the camp field not going the same route.