phatman

I am surprisingly pleased by the new Water Street proposal, and personally I do not feel it to have suffered as a result of its scaling down – it is a fine development in its own right. I would be inclined to favour the original proposal, with perhaps slight modifications to the tower element, but this is certainly not the mish-mash chopped up half assed version that I feared…

@Praxiteles wrote:

In 2005 Cork was European capital of “culture” – which is not the same thing as saying that it was a capital of culture!

Apart from two notable exhibitions on James Barry and Cork Silver, the European Capital of Culture farce is a gross fireworks embarrasment best fogotten about!!

Not to be too pedantic, but wouldn’t being European Capital of Culture constitute being a capital of culture?
And even though the organisational skills of the committee left a bit to be desired, the place really is steeped in culture and fully deserved the acolade.

@rebel_city wrote:

I’ve used the new Fermoy by-pass a couple of times now and each time I’m still blinded by the lights as I approach the toll. I can’t see what the symbols are over each lane so I just randomly end up at a toll booth and hope it’s the one where I can just throw the money in! 🙂 Does anyone else have the same issue?:o

I travelled it this afternoon and I had no problems…:D

@Cathal Dunne wrote:

Just looking at that panorama of the Corconian skyline, what’s going to happen to those sheds/warehouses between the apartments around the Elysian Tower and the Lee? Are they being rebuilt as well, or are they going to be just done up like those dockland warehouses in CHQ.

Those warehouses went up for sale seperately back along, and do not form part of this development. It is my understanding that Howard Holdings purchased aprt of the site, I could be wrong, and O’ Callaghan Properties the rest? It was mentioned way back in the Look at the state of Cork like thread. In any case, I would be quite sure they would be completely redeveloped.

@Radioactiveman wrote:

I passed South Mall/Parnell place late last week. Work is underway at the Corbett Brother’s site at 17, 18 Parnell place and Beasly St. With listed facades to the Parnell place side, the demolition work looked a bit brutal for my liking…part of one of the facades is now missing!

Real pity about the facade, I preseumed it was protected, so it was a surprise to see it come down. Apologies about the quality, took it on my phone…

Yeah the relief road seems excessively ’roundabout’, literally and figuratively. Should be renamed “Mitchelstown Scenic Route”. Still, it’s better to have it there of course.

This for real?Wow!I’m excited…

@jungle wrote:

If you make an effort, you can still get the Shakey Bridge going…

It’s funny, you should say about a boardwalk down by the Opera House. I was walking along there the other day and thinking about how unpleasant the general environment is down that way. With the four lanes of traffic and the narrow footpaths and the difficulty crossing the road, I wondered if it might impact on the ability of new businesses in the area to trade properly. Perhaps a boardwalk could be incorporated into a new plan for the area.

I saw it mentioned by someone else, and so had a look myself, but the new paving and railings being installed on Penrose Quay are fantastic, really look well, and would be great if expanded to other areas. Check it out, just down from Michael Collins Bridge.

Serving the entire western seaboard with a single ‘super’ airport, as sustainable or clever as it lmight look to some people on paper, is simply not feasible. First of all to close Cork airport would prove detrimental to the economy of the region. Secondly, and more practically, you simply cannot change peoples travel patterns so easily. Those who travel by car to Cork airport would most likely travel to Shannon by car, regardless of the possibility of a rail link. By merging the existing airports into one airport, you are obviously expanding hugely the rural hinterland being served, the majority of people being car dependant and much too far removed from the rail network to even consider using it. So, with the exception of your jet setting young urban professionals, a rail link to an airport so far removed would do nothing to justify such a move. The lack of an airport in Cork would further rule out the possibility of air-commuting between Cork and Dublin, and for that matter between Cork and the U.K. Cork is a city of such a size, and is such an important contributor to the Irish economy, as well as being an important toutism gateway, that people want to fly directly there, not have to travel half way across the country to get there. Cities much smaller than Cork support their own airports. And as for the whole argument of the range of destinations being unsatisfactory, the airport is not purporting to be anything more than it is, and obviously the supply is there to simply meet the demand, in which case it is fulfilling its purpose. Save a US route, I can’t see any problems, and if there is a deficiency somewhere, I’m sure the new terminal will allow for increased service where necessary, and suceed in attracting new airlines.

@Spinal Tap wrote:

Its a pity to lose the indidgenous Cork retailers from our main streets as Dublin could now be Nottingham or Leeds with its “High” street Uk rertailers.We have very little in Cork city to attract tourists and a unique streetscape with local retailers is always something worth having.Roches move must have been on the cards for a long time as their Wilton store is stuck in 1978 !

Personally I think that there are way too many Dunnes Stores around Cork.Asuperquin or a few more M&S would be a nice change.

Not sure about Superquinn, but M&S definitely. I agree, it is a pity Roches are bowing out.