Council insists wall does not pose public danger

MASSIVE steel supports have been installed to prevent the collapse of a huge wall onto one of Cork’s best known roads.

But city council officials have moved to assure people that there is no risk to public safety following the damage to the wall on Sunday’s Well Road.

They are working on a permanent solution which could take several weeks to prepare.

The extent of the repairs will also be determined by the availability of funds.

Part of the wall below homes on Panorama Terrace is privately owned. The rest is under the control of the city council.

Council engineers have been monitoring the wall for some years following the discovery of a vertical separation crack.

They detected small movement in the wall in recent weeks and took the decision to install the steel supports for public safety reasons.

The problem also affected the privately-owned section of the wall and its owner has also installed steel supports a few yards away.

The supports have been bolted to the wall and to the road but footpath access on Sunday’s Well Road has been maintained.

A spokesman for Cork City Council’s road department said the council’s supports are designed to be a temporary measure.

“A permanent solution will have to be found for the wall. Whether that will involve taking it down and rebuilding it, or finding some way to anchor it, has yet to be determined,” he said.

But the situation poses several engineering difficulties because the wall supports step access to the homes at Panorama Terrace, as well as a walkway which runs parallel to Sunday’s Well Road.

Residents have been informed of the situation.