developments in cork

@ewankennedy wrote:

Does anyone know who will be building Eglinton street? will the O’flynns be doing it themselves??? And who were the architects/planners for the Howard holdings masterplan in the docklands?? anyone?

As far as I am aware, the tender for Eglinton Street hasn’t gone out yet but is expected to do so soon.

As for the Howard Holdings Masterplan, word is that Murray O’Laoire were involved but I have no confirmation on that.

🙂 The proposal by Cork City Council (and I believe it has been expressed by Cork County Council for certain locations around the city and suburbs) to bring into policy a condition obligating new city residential development units to be provided with bicycles by developers has been met with mixed reactions across some spectors in the development and development related community.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with it. For a long time I’ve wished to see the city centre island subject to large-scale pedestrianisation (at least during peak times 9.30am to 7pm for example). The city centre is ever more so becoming a congestive block of endless traffic backlogs. A figure conducted by UCC Geography Department in 2003 averaged peak-time traffic in the city at approx. 11.2 kph (will double check that figure!) – off the top of my head I can’t remember the like figure for Dublin. This figure has undoubtedly reduced in the past 2 years. Part of CCC policy aims to create the city centre as a more sustainable living environment, attracting long-term, predominantly owner-occupiers into the city after years of suburban exodus. The 2002 CSO Census statistics confirmed that the city centre population had decreased like-for-like on the 1996 findings (April 25th 2006 is the next scheduled census). At the same time, significant increases in Cork’s suburban and perhiphery populations were also documented. Population projections for the South-West Region (Cork city, county and Kerry) were, by 2021 expected to increase by 124,000 souls (to 705,000) based on CSO Projections dated May 25th 2005, however that finding has since been revised upward given recently released population (organic and inorganic) growth statistics. Recent ESRI and CSO reports both indicated their expectancy that Cork city and environs will absorb a substantial volume of this increase. One NUI Economist (who asked not to be quoted by name) indicated he could see, by 2012, Cork city’s (suburbs, some of which are considered CorkCoCo jurisdiction, and city centre inclusive) population increase by as much as 20,000 to 25,000. An approximate growth average of 3,571 every year from now until September 2012 or a respectable 2.9% (approx.) per annum (taking 22,500 as the median value) – it must be remembered however, that this does not take heed of fast growing population rates in Commuter Belt settlements like Midelton, Ballincollig (agruably a suburb – whose population by 2018 is expected to rise to 40,000), Mallow, Carrigaline, Crosshaven, Blarney/Tower, Glanmire (which consequent of recently lodged or proposed developments should increase district population by a possible 6,000 ~ 4,000 of which could well be facilitated at the 2 OFC proposals alone), Rathcormac and Macroom etc. Incorporating these figures into the overall frame, paints a very healthy growth pattern. The dependency of these commuter settlements on the city paints a positive picture for development in Cork city when considered alongside city centre statistics. However, what is important to consider in this context are key factors such as infastructure, patterned growth arrangements and especially jobs – or perhaps more specifically, job types and their associated wage packets.

From an infastructural perspective, the development of commuter rail-lines (as proposed for Mallow, Blarney, possibly Blackpool and along the Midelton Commuter belt including existing structures at Cobh) is vital – from an environmental, sustainability, traffic management and economic perspective (especially individual and family economic perspectives). However, bulk growth in the southern region of the city must be accounted for as well. Current infastructural and public transport services are just, if at all, coping at peak times. Generally speaking, average wealth bases in the southern divide of the city exceed those of the north – this would suggest, in some respects, higher disposable incomes and by logical deduction, higher numbers of cars – Carrigaline is recognised as being the most car dependent town in Ireland. Actual volumes do become more balanced in real terms when consideration is applied to influx traffic consequent of commuter flows from the larger, more numerous commuter settlements to the north (and in this sense, we may consider Charleville, Mitchelstown, Fermoy etc among them) – even so, stronger emphasis will need to be applied to providing sufficient infastructural capacities in the south region, and more roads are not the way to go. Private input will be essential in the absence of required public spending – where public ‘monetary supply’ does not maintain level with demand.

But back to jobs – in order to sustain any viable growth, a sufficient money base/market is required. This is ultimately determined on jobs/wage units. Tertiary sector based employment generally tends to have a lower economic output/productivity than say industrial or manufacturing – in this sense attracting foreign bodies for providing predominatly tertiary-rooted operations (e.g. finance etc) will have to be justified on an output, skill and/or niche basis. R&D is a valuable component is establishing niche characteristics – and provides a competitive, if only ‘temporary’, edge over competitors (i.e. other locations). Sufficient anti is required strategically to continue defining Cork as a unique and desirable operations base with respectable wage levels. Retail employment, as a third sector employer, will more often than not, fail to sustain sufficient long-term employment with strong wage levels – with the exception of management/administritive positions. However, as the largest market sector in the country – it remains an invaluable economic contributor. Throughout other sectors, the aforementioned characteristics of niche, skill and competitive output will be required more and more to support sufficient wage levels and to support other employment sectors such as retail, leisure, finance etc. Furthermore, the volume of these higher wage units distributed across the growing population will need to be increased. Indigenous or MNC, the difference other than that of domestic and regional/national products is minimal. For example, as demonstrated by Glen Dimplex/Morphy Richards, when push comes to shove – if a labour market, even a domestic one, proves unsustainable or does not reach a sufficient/desired pay-off, operations are shifted off to China! Generally, unless there is a large concentration of the like, administration and finance-based activities, do not employ the same volumes as the productive dimensions do (although that can vary business to business 😉 ).

I could blab on for hours – but in conclusion, with the growth in population – the increased activity in city centre residential development, it is posited that city centre activity and occupancy levels will and are rising. CCC seemed, in the case of Eglinton Street for example, to have come to the acceptance that large-basement car-parking facilities for big residential schemes can be justified given the long-term nature or lower traffic movements (with respect to location) of the vehicles involved. I would agree – but with higher population volumes, come higher general movements. With infastructural elements not yet nearing their optimum, car travel still remains the dominant means of transport – whether suburban or commuter. The continually growing volumes mean higher congestion rates. Until a sufficient public accessible transport system comes into effect, any alleviation of traffic input is welcome. If this means removing one element, even city sourced traffic – to some extent (some people will never bother and the other sticking point is Irish weather) – by introducing/providing bicycles with new residential schemes, than the better we are for that. And healthier hopefully!

However, if developers do fund a bicycle per unit, CCC must be expected to do their part providing dedicated, safe cycle-lanes – some with parallel retractable canopies in times of bad weather (thus encouraging the use of bicycles even in poorer weather) – and proceeding with important public transport implementations.

Figure Sources:
CSO
ESRI
CCC
CorkCoCo
NUI

A number of lesser-known, or supposedly less controversial developments – especially in the Blackrock area of Cork have caught my eye of late. A recent excursion down the Old Blackrock Road found the O’Callaghan Properties development at the former Rochelle School site, designed by Dennehy + Dennehy, nearing completion with John Paul Construction on-site. The development has materialised well in the flesh and marks a further turn by OCP in aiming higher in the design standards of their projects. The project is fitting of its location and possesses a simple tastefulness about it without ever over-powering its surrounds. I especially like the balcony and parameter railings which adorn the proposal.

COMPLETED IMAGE LATER

CG Image of the development – Northern and Eastern elevations showing.

COMPLETED IMAGE LATER

Old Quarter boulevard rendering

5-bedroom Style A Housing Type at Old Quarter

Completed Style C House @ Old Quarter

MORE COMPLETED IMAGES SOON

🙂 Cork County Council are to apply to CCC for the development of a new County Library HQ building on their County Hall lands. The new building will rise 6-storeys over basement and house a new archive and book processing unit, new library areas, exhibition area and office accommodation on upper floors. A 2-storey wing will extend for the main building structure and enclose a new courtyard area. The development is to be constructed on the surface car-park area to the west of the existing Cork County Hall protected structure, with the car-park being relocated. As part of the application, CorkCoCo will also seek to add a further level to the newly constructed multi-storey car-park, as part of the wider redevelopment of the premises, nearby. Shay Cleary Architects will be heading up the design.

– this development is significant in that, should it be granted, the partial obstruction (and I don’t use that word in a negative sense) of the western facade by the new building could pave justification for future proposals to the east and west of the tower which may be of a high-rise nature (especially to the west, where recently freed up development land provides a unique opportunity to develop a significant gateway high-rise). That includes the recently proposed 15-storey tower structure at the Crow’s Nest site off Victoria Cross.

View east to west of the Crow’s Nest and Victoria Terrace – with Cork County Hall in the background.

@corkdood wrote:

It struck me yesterday that if only the city council had the vision to construct a version of the Thames Barrier to control water levels in the Lee in order to maintain a steady water level along the quays ensuring that the ugly green quay walls were always covered. What a pleasant place the city quays would become. The stench of rotting green seaweed would be merely a memory. Boatingand pleasure trips on the river could become a viable reality. The development of a boardwalk along the river would be feasible and Corkonians could be proud of the Lee instead of holding their noses when they traverse the city’s bridges at low tide. It would also encourage tourism and enhance the image of the city.

Do we as a city have the vision and the wherewithall to bring such a project to life? It is a dream of mine to see such a project brought to fruition in my lifetime. What do others think?

In the 2001 Cork Docklands Development Strategy Draft prepared for CCC by Urban Initiatives just such a system was proposed. The location was set for the breadth between Water Street and Marina Park. It was noted however that such a system would be costly and may be a visual disamenity as far as the river is concerned. Furthermore, it would hinder the scale of vessels entering the existing Port of Cork space along the quays during construction and following completion. Personally, I believe with the PoC relocating the majority of its activities to the Deep Water Berth at Ringaskiddy, the requirement for large scale vessels docking in the city would be less required. The predominant nature of vessels within this location should be restricted to leisure usage, water-buses and the occassional foreign naval visit. Interestingly, with Custom House Quay seeking to be redeveloped, the NADP 2005 proposed a extension pier to the eastern head of the CHQ site to allow berthings of perhaps such vessels, whilst allowing the quayside itself to be redeveloped.

I think were such a scheme to be proposed, the combination of such a barrier system could be incorporated into the Water Street Bridge scheme – minimising any visual impact and providing an aesthetically pleasing ‘mask’ in the shape of the Water Street Bridge.

Indeed such a scheme would be costly, but I think in strategic terms, the investment would be well worthwhile from issues of flooding, regulation, hygiene, amenity value and related economic and socio-economic benefits. The River Lee is perhaps Cork’s most valuable, yet under utilised resource. The city and the city’s docklands extensive waterfronts are a real prize. Clearly the scale of such a barrier would not be equivalent to that of the Thames and I would be very much of the mind that CCC, the DoE and Dept. of Marine should sincerely consider this option.

Water Street Bridge Proposal

Interesting Link: Thames River Barrier