Street on which building collapsed to reopen today
The street opening will require an all clear by city council officials.
The three-storey building on Castle Street initially collapsed, internally, without warning.
And shortly after emergency services had cordoned off the area around the premises on Thursday afternoon, the whole front of the structure fell down.
The location of the building, close to the scene of other structural failures in the area surrounding Castle Street, has once again raised questions over the safety of buildings in that part of the city.
Cork Business Association chief executive Donal Healy pointed out that premises in that area on the outskirts of the city’s shopping precinct were in the original location of Cork’s walls and the building were some of the oldest in the city.
In recent years, there have been a number of building collapses all within a short distance of Castle Street. In December 1999, a 20-year-old woman was killed after the parapet of two adjoining buildings in Washington Street collapsed and showered masonry onto the pavement below.
The incident prompted then Cork Corporation to close the street and serve notices on property owners in the area to vacate their premises.
A number of buildings were found to have structural defects, while others were vacated because they were close to dangerous buildings.
There have also been incidents in the nearby North Main Street, the most recent of which was in March this year, when several chunks of plaster and a small amount of rubble was blown from the top sections of a building at North Gate House.
Cork City Council said it was the duty of building owners to ensure the safety of their structures.
It said the owner of the building which collapsed in Castle Street had been asked yesterday to ensure the site was safe.
“Castle Street will remain closed until at least lunchtime on Saturday,” a spokesman said. “Demolition and removal of rubble is proceeding carefully to avoid any impact on neighbouring properties.”
