Repairs start on large disused Cork city property

Images of the Blarney Street property were shared widely on Twitter and kicked off a wider discussion on the issue of vacancy and dereliction

The owner of the boarded-up, two-storey property between Blarney Street and Glen Ryan Road has contacted Cork City Council and wants “to engage further" with them. File photo

Initial repair work has started on the large disused property in Cork city which helped spark a national conversation about the scandal of dereliction in Ireland.

The imposing vacant detached house off Blarney Street, on the northside of the city, was the first featured by campaigners, Frank O’Connor and Jude Sherry, in their dereliction campaign which began on Twitter.

Mr O’Connor photographed the boarded-up, two-storey property between Blarney Street and Glen Ryan Road and published it online in June 2020, as an example of an empty property, with “character and potential”, which is lying vacant during a housing crisis.

He said the property was just one example of one that could become a home if the local authority used its powers under the Derelict Acts to either compel the owner to do the work, or stepped in to tackle the problem itself.

He went on to post dozens more tweets over the next year-and-a-half showcasing many examples of vacant, disused, boarded-up and derelict properties across the city.

The thread has been credited with shining a spotlight on dereliction, urban decay and vacancy not just in Cork city, but in towns and villages across the country.

Campaigners in other cities have followed their example and are now posting images of similarly vacant, disused or derelict properties in their area, in an effort to call-out the problem.

Mr O’Connor said they only featured properties that, in their opinion, met the legal definition of dereliction, as set out in the legislation.

But while this first property in their Twitter thread was clearly vacant and boarded up, with cracked roof slates, and broken and boarded-up windows, it was not listed on the city council’s derelict sites register. it was however on the council’s radar.

A council spokesperson confirmed last night that “an inspection took place with a determination of its status”, as part of a long process which can ultimately lead to a property being formally declared derelict.

As part of that process, ownership has to be established and a notice was placed on the property seeking to identify its legal owner. The spokesperson said the owner contacted the city council and wants “to engage further" with them.

“Cork City Council welcomes site owner engagement and will encourage improvement works,” the spokesperson said.

It’s not clear yet whether the work is simply to secure the property to prevent it from being declared derelict, or whether it could lead to a planning application.