Collapsed Cork city quay wall declared derelict
Which At Picture: Wall Park South Eddie Near Bridge In Cork Collapsed The Gate Car O'hare The
A collapsed city quay wall has been declared derelict as Cork City Council liaises with the owner of the car park above it to resolve the matter, councillors have been told.
But they have also been told that securing repairs to the quay wall close to historic South Gate Bridge is a “complicated process” and there is no timeline for the delivery of repairs.
The update follows questions on the issue from Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy at Monday’s council meeting several months on from the last collapse of a portion of the quay wall close to the 300-year-old bridge last summer.
Mr McCarthy said: "It’s seven months on, and I don't see anything happening at the site, and no amendments or repairs being made.”
The damage has been clearly visible since a partial collapse occurred last February, followed by a further collapse last August, which led to the closure of a section of the privately-owned car park above the damaged area.
Council engineering and operations staff inspected the damage at the time and said they were satisfied that it posed no immediate risk to the structural integrity of the bridge and posed no immediate risk to public safety on the public roads or footpaths nearby.
Despite several calls from councillors for the local authority to step in and carry out repairs, officials insisted last September that the responsibility for fixing it rests with the owner of the car park.
Councillors were told on Monday that the site is now subject to the derelict sites process and has initially been placed on the derelict sites register.
Fearghal Reidy, the council’s director of services in the strategic and economic development directorate, said a notice was served under Section 8(2) of the Derelict Sites Act 1990, which included a schedule of works required to repair the quay wall.
“The site owners and Cork City Council are actively engaged to resolve this matter in a timely manner,” he said.
In response to further questions from Mr McCarthy, Mr Reidy warned it is a complicated process and given the site’s location on the river and the history of the area, a “complex methodology” for the repairs to the quay wall will have to be agreed.
Meanwhile, the council says it has carried out a temporary road repair following the emergence of a small sinkhole at the junction of North Gate Bridge and North Main Street last week and is trying to assess if there is any further risk of further road undermining at this location.
Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle asked if officials fear that further similar incidents may occur, given the topography of the city centre island, and if the council has a strategy to deal with it.
But David Joyce, the director of services in the council’s roads and environment operations directorate, said these types of holes in the road surface are unpredictable and are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
“The city centre island has many underground services and is bounded by the river on all sides, so these incidents may happen from time to time, however, it is not a regular occurrence and in fact occur very infrequently,” he said.