Queen's Old Castle revamp on hold following objection from An Taisce

Computer-generated image of the planned retail and office development at Cork's Queen's Old Castle site. Image: Model Works 

Plans for a major redevelopment of the historic Queen’s Old Castle building in Cork City have been placed on hold following opposition from the Cork branch of An Taisce.

The heritage body has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against the recent decision of Cork City Council to grant planning permission for the construction of a mixed-used office and retail development on the Grand Parade site, rising to seven storeys in height.

The owners of the Queen’s Old Castle building, Clarendon Properties, an international property investment group headed by businessmen Tony Leonard and Patrick McKillen, through a subsidiary company, City Properties (Cork) are also seeking to conserve, refurbish, alter and change the use of some of the existing building on the site, while demolishing part of its existing fabric.

The former department store, which currently houses a Dealz outlet, was originally built in the 1840s before its closure in 1978 and its redevelopment as a shopping centre two years later.

In more recent years, it was also the location for an Argos store.

An Taisce appeal

In its appeal, An Taisce claims the proposed new building requires “significant revisions” to its design as well as a reduction in its height so as to enable it to integrate better into its historic city centre location.

An Taisce spokesperson, Ian Lumley, pointed out that the façade of Queen’s Old Castle is listed in the 'National Inventory of Architectural Heritage'.

Mr Lumley described the building as “an important central place in the city between the old medieval city and the 18th-century expansion.” 

He claimed it occupied a pivotal position in Cork which completed the vista at the western end of St Patrick’s Street.

An Taisce argued the current plans for the building would have adverse visual impacts on the surrounding area, which would be contrary to the Cork City Development Plan 2015-2022, which aims to protect and enhance the built heritage of the city centre.

It claimed the developers had made no substantial amendments to their original plans, despite a request from council planners to City Properties to address their concerns about the visual impact of the building and the need for an appropriate design in such an urban setting.

Mr Lumley pointed out that an objective of the city’s development plan was for the building height of any new development to generally respect the area’s existing character.

An Taisce argued there has been no other example of a building of such scale, height and design being approved within the existing older part of the city centre.

“It will clearly change entirely the look of the whole streetscape at this point,” said Mr Lumley.

However, he acknowledged the developers had made some amendments to the design of the building to address concerns regarding overshadowing of neighbouring properties.

Mr Lumley described Queen’s Old Castle as “one of the oldest historical retail facades on the island". 

“It deserves a much more sympathetic architectural treatment in any renewal and extension,” he added.

Seven-storey building inappropriate

An Taisce maintains a seven-storey building is inappropriate given the site’s location and it supported calls by the city architect for the height of the building to be reduced by one floor.

While An Taisce acknowledged the proposed finish of the new development was of “a high standard”, it claimed it would be more appropriate for a docklands or brownfield setting.

It has called for a fresh approach to enhance the existing building environment around Daunt Square rather than its City Properties’ plans, which it claimed were “essentially a modernist, glass box structure".

In planning documents, City Properties said the aim of its proposal was “to respect and enhance the city’s built and natural heritage". 

The company said the new development would have the capacity to operate as a workplace for more than 900 employees It said retaining the status quo of the building was “simply unacceptable”, while the new development would assist in scaling up Cork to allow the city to compete internationally and “to be a driver of national and regional growth",

“To be taken serious as a city we need scale and it is developments such as this that will help to realise the vision for Cork and its city centre to become a sustainable urban destination and thrive as the economic engine of the region,” it added.

The developers claimed the project would also help to rejuvenate and regenerate the city centre area.

A ruling by An Bord Pleanála on the appeal is due by the end of May.