City fathers to have a say in lane’s renaming

CORK’S city fathers will have a say after all in the renaming of an historic lane.

The official legal process to rename Faulkener’s Lane, which linked St Patrick’s Street to Emmet Place, has yet to take place, it has been confirmed. Concerns were raised last week that councillors were not consulted about the matter after developer Owen O’Callaghan officially opened his €600 million Opera Lane retail development. The project created 1,200 construction jobs. Some 2,000 jobs will be created once its units and Mr O’Callaghan’s nearby Half Moon Street project are fully let by early next year. As part of the Opera Lane project, the right of way along Faulkener’s Lane was extinguished to facilitate construction. The lane was widened and a new street created. Mr O’Callaghan described it as like a “little bit like Knightsbridge or Oxford Street” in London.

O’Callaghan Properties first suggested the lane be renamed Opera Avenue, but following consultation with city planners it was agreed Opera Lane would be more appropriate. But Cllr Sean Martin (FF) said councillors were not consulted. Lord Mayor Dara Murphy accused critics of “nit-picking” and said the focus should be on the investment and job creation potential.

O’Callaghan Properties also defended the plan. “Faulkener’s Lane was a dirty, dingy, smelly and dangerous laneway that was avoided by Corkonians for generations. It no longer exists,” a spokesperson said.

“A completely new street has been constructed which is twice the width of the original laneway.” However, it has now emerged the legal process to give effect to the renaming process has yet to take place. Changing the name of an existing street is a “reserved function” of council which means it has to be rubber-stamped by councillors first.

The city manager Joe Gavin has prepared a report on the matter and it will be presented to councillors at a council meeting tonight.