Radioactiveman

Is it time that those of us who support balanced, well designed and necessary highrise developments in suitable locations around the city formed some sort of group in opposition to these ludicrous motions being proposed? They are being proposed and supported because the individuals involved believe there are votes and public support to be won by doing so. It must be time that those who oppose such motions made their feelings known in some way?

Speaking of Frinailla, after ironing out some financial issues with landowners, work has begun on the company’s Lady’s Well development in Blackpool. The majority of demolition work has been completed over the weekend and site testing/preperation work has begun. The company might find thinks though going, since the adjacent Garda Station was beset with huge problems in finding sufficient foundations on what was, surprise surprise, a water course!

Elsewhere in the area, work is complete on the brand spanking new Cork Archives Institute building on Great William O’Brien Street on the rear of the old fire station. Work is currently ongoing to transfer the often fragile and important archive holdings from the former archives building on South Main Street to the new facility- with specialists from the UK having been brought in for the task. The new facility will open to the public on Tuesday 25th April 2006.

The building sensitively deals with the site adjacent to Maddens Buildings (protected buildings). It remains to be seen what use CCC will put the old archives (Christ Church) to. Any ideas?

More images later

Cork City Council have refused Murrayforde Developments Ltd., permission to refurbish 37 and 38 Shandon Street and convert to 6 x i bed apartments with ground floor shop. In effect, the proposal was to remove party walls throughout the two buildings and to provide for one large retail outlet at ground floor.
No open space of any kind was proposed for the apartments, which were all under the required floor area (45 sq m).

Work seems finally to be beginning at Frinailla’s Grand Parade Hotel site, with contractors John Paul on site in the last few days removing exsisting scaffoldng and preparing the site.
Also, I have heard that the Huguenot Graveyard on Carey’s Lane is about to be redeveloped along the lines of a coffee shop/exhibition space along with a neighbouring building. According to a source, an application for planning permission is due to be lodged in the next few days.
more detail later

–update– Huguenot Graveyard development
According to a report in today’s Examiner, John Murphy of Table 8 restaurant is about to apply for permission to widen the existing entrance on Carey’s Lane, install a new staircase, balcony and wheelchair lift in the graveyard and to make alterations to the existing rear extension to the adjoining building. This is the third application of its type made for this site in the past 15 years. The group “Friends of the Huguenot Cemetery” have indicated that they’ll strongly oppose the plans.

Permission was sought in 2001, for a four storey retail apartment development on the site by Mr. Murphy.Permission of a similar type was granted by CCC in 1998, but this was refused by An Bord Pleanala.
After an archaeological investigation in advance of the 2001 decision, both Duchas and the City Archaeolgist reccomended refusal on the basis that materials of archaeological interest would be at risk.
The City Archaeologist noted:
“The development site comprises the only surviving component of the former Huguenot burial ground. The proposed development is incompatible with the conservation of this unique and important monument. The graveyard is the only historic feature, albeit obscure and largely unrecognised, surviving from this period of our history. It is the only surviving element of a group of people who greatly contributed to the development of Cork City.”
At the time, CCC noted that: “Alternatives for the use of the site can be discussed with the applicant in view of this approach.”
There is no doubt, that the development now proposed would, on the face of it, be much less obtrusive on the archaeological fabric of the site and could allow much desired access to the site by the general public. Nevertheless, this application is sure to generate a large amount of objections.

@corkdood wrote:

I don’t think St Patricks Street has ever held that title!

In fact it has held that title for a number of years. See press release from Department of The Environment below:

CORK CITY DOES IT AGAIN!
Patrick Street, Cork is Ireland’s “City Neighbourhood, 2004“

Minister of State Batt O’Keefe presents the 2004
City Neighbourhood Awards

For the second year in a row Cork City has walked away with top honours in the City Neighbourhoods Competition. Last year it was South Mall]Patrick Street has been named the winner [/B]by Batt O’Keefe, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government at an Awards ceremony held in Dublin Castle today (15 November). The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Se

@dkebab wrote:

I think this design is one of the worst proposals I have seen for Cork. It seems that people will throw up any old re hashed Jervis St crap and expect the citezens of Cork to lap it up gratefully. I am disgusted at the level of design of the project. It is tedious, ill-considered and ad-hoc. It is not unlike the horrific building occupied by Vibes and Scribes fronting Paul St. Car Park. I am ashamed that the people of Cork have such little respect for the urban fabric of such a unique city that they wouyld allow such obscene development to continue.

I’d have to 100 % disagree with you there dkebab!
One thing this development could not be accused of being is rashly designed or ill-considered. The length of time it took to prepare this development and the extensive pre-submission negotiations with Cork City Council, along with the track records of those involved in the design speaks volumes for the proposal.
The design was always going to have detractors given its high profile position and the scope of the project overall, but on the whole, it has managed to protect the notable buildings on site, while at the same time open them up for retail uses which are badly needed if the City Centre is to continue to thrive and for St. Patrick’s Street to retain its position as best shopping street in the country.
To suggest that the design damages the urban fabric of the city is also a strange statement to make in that it practically introduces a new street (Faukner’s Lane) which will be pedestrianised to add to the already highly popular “lane” culture in the city (as evidenced by the popularity of French Church Street, Paul Street, Princes Street, Cook Street, etc). The development retains and enriches the city blocks which have remained pretty much static since they were originally laid out.
With regards to the design, enough variety has been introduced in order to ensure it does not present a monolithic ediface onto the lanes and streets- something which certainly cannot be said for Merchants Quay. The Glass features onto Emmett Place ensure that the historic buildings in this area are not overshadowed, but at the same time, any faux historic elements are rightfully avoided.
This development certainly has a few issues to be ironed out- all developments do! The St. Patrick’s street facade- while not offensive, could do with a bit of tweeking and the overall height will undoubtedly come down. This aside, it is certainly not “one of the worst proposals” ever seen for Cork.
Can you elaborate as to what you see are this development’s shortcomings dkebab?

I do think that a number of parts of the Examiner Offices are worthy of being retained. They may look a bit shabby at the moment but should contribute greatly to this new development.

I’d have to agree that the St.Patrick’s street facade is a bit pointless- why knock the Ryan’s Pharmacy/Sasha portion to replace it with something that seems to be struggling to mirror it? I can see this being retained in the final plans when permission is granted.

Anybody know what effect this development will have on Bowling Green Street? Will it get a similar treatment to Faulkner’s Lane? It certainly deserves it. I know Dunnes Stores are working on plans for their side of Bowling Green Street- how do they stand at present??
Will the two developments work together to rejuvinate this street? or will they both have their backs to it?

The South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital have been given permission to demolish the existing two-storey showroom and warehouses at Infirmary Road and to erect a new cancer screening facility for ‘Breastcheck’, comprising four full storeys of accommodation and partial fifth storey containing plant, the extension of the public footpath from the eastern side of Infirmary Road along the southern side of Hibernian Road to form a paved pedestrian space with steps and ramp giving access to the main entrance to the building on Infirmary Road and vehicular drop-off on Hibernian Road, and the construction of a temporary garden bounded by walls and railings facing Infirmary Road.
“Contemporary in design, the proposed finishes include brick, aluminum framed windows, metal louvre panels and metal balustrades.”

–Murray O Laoire Site Strategy Study of the future Breastcheck site (bottom left hand corner).

@PTB wrote:

I hope they won’t remove the upturned cannon outside the peace park. It would be a crime if they did

In the images and layouts i’ve seen (but alas have been unable to upload) the cannon is staying in place, at the corner of Grand Parade and Tuckey Street. There will be huge open plazas constructed at the gates of Bishop Lucey Park and around the National Monument at the south end of the street.
The Berwick fountain will be the centrepiece of the street, having been removed and set back in place with considerable improvements to its current locale and lighting.

Cast your eyes upwards in the next few weeks in Cork and you’re likely to see a small but not insignificant architectural event!
As part of it’s overall restoration and refurbishment, the “pineapples” are about to be replaced atop the steeple of St. Anne’s Church, Shandon. Scaffolding has recently been erected around parts of the tower to facilitate the work. The decorative pieces were removed last year when they were found to be structurally unsafe during cleaning work on the upper portion of the steeple.
The ornaments which are being installed are not the original limestone, but are concrete copies. It will be good to see them back, the old girl hasn’t looked the same without her jewels!

Fig 1: Shandon Steeple intact.
Fig 2: Shandon, as seen recently- minus the pineapples!
Fig 3: Work underway today on the steeple.

The Shandon area itself is ripe for renewal, with CCC now in possession of the Butter Market Museum/trade centre. This will make for a very nice tourism feature to capitalise on the area’s huge tourist potential.

Shandon Church, St. Anne’s Shandon dates 1722 but its tower was not erected until 1750. It has two limestone faces and two faces dressed in red sandstone. There are three terraced square towers topping it off which are very finely and gracefully proportioned. The steeple houses the famous bells of Shandon and the tower itself is one of the city’s best-known landmarks. The tower is crowned with the gilt ball and a fish in the form of a salmon, thirteen feet in length. The church replaces an older church of St. Mary which was destroyed in the siege of 1690.