Almost 100 sites are derelict in Cork city

Derelict building facade is pinned in position behind hoarding on North Main Street, Cork.

The responsibility for dangerous buildings rests with the owners of that private property, Cork's city officials have warned, as the number of derelict sites hovers close to 100.

And while the city council said it has no plans to conduct a city-wide audit of at-risk buildings, such a move may be considered in future, if funding allows.

It follows a high-profile incident involving the partial collapse of derelict buildings on North Main St, which forced the council to step in and fund stabilisation works.

A council spokesman said they are satisfied with the processes and policies in place to respond to at-risk building incidents, and pointed out that no ‘full audit of at-risk buildings’ has ever been carried out under the Local Government Sanitary Services Act 1964 in respect of any significant geographical area.

“The fire and building control department of Cork City Council has well established inspection practices and enforcement procedures in dealing with dangerous structures under the Local Government Sanitary Services Act 1964,” he said.

“Inspections and investigations are carried out as a result of specific complaints from the gardaí, emergency services, other city council departments and the general public.

“The fire and building control department are committed to treating any report of a dangerous structure as a priority issue, and will promptly investigate any report.” 

But he said an audit will be considered as a future work programme.

In the meantime, officials said responsibility for dangerous structures and places rests with private property owners.

The warning comes as new figures show that as of this month, there are 95 buildings or sites on the council’s derelict sites register, down three compared to the same period last month.

The council said while 10 sites were added to the register by this time last year, to bring the total to 98, four had been removed.

By this month, four sites had been added to the register and nine sites had been removed, to leave the total at 95.

The spokesman said while the city council proactively engages with the owners of identified derelict sites, the removal of dereliction can be a complex process from an economic, familial and visual point of view.

The legislation states it is the duty of every owner and occupier of the land to take all reasonable steps to ensure the land does become derelict.

“The local authority shall also take reasonable steps to ensure a site does not become or continue to become a derelict site,” the spokesman said.

“The legislation also allows for the issue of statutory notices which specify measures to prevent the continuance of dereliction.

“In our experience, in most cases working proactively and positively with site owners, commences the steps to remove dereliction.” 

On North Main St, the council plans to levy the cost of the stabilisation works on the owners of the buildings which were added to the derelict sites register in 2015.

Last year, the owners of those buildings, one of whom is listed on the derelict sites register as the owner of two adjoining properties on Barrack St, also added to the register in 2015, owed the city €84,000 in derelict sites levies.

The North Main St properties are now in the hands of a receiver.

You can view the Cork City Derelict Sites Map here