Council writes to landowner telling them to fix damaged Cork city quay wall

Cork City Council heard that there is “no immediate danger to public health and safety” from the collapsed quay wall

Cork City Council has written to the landowner asking them to repair the wall at the car park near South Gate Bridge which collapsed in Cork last month. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

A private landowner has been formally told that it is their responsibility to repair a section of damaged Cork city quay wall where two significant collapses have occurred in recent months.

They have also been asked to engage urgently with Cork City Council as it seeks to address the issue affecting the northern quay wall near the historic South Gate Bridge.

City officials, who told the Irish Examiner last week that responsibility for repairing the damage rests with a private owner, confirmed at Monday's city council meeting that the council has written “to the persons responsible for the privately owned lands where the collapse took place” seeking urgent engagement and advising them that it is their responsibility to maintain this area.

“We can further confirm that we will use all the applicable statutory powers available to the council to seek to address matters relating going forward,” it said.

The issue was raised at full council level by Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle, who spoke out earlier this month after the latest collapse of an already damaged section of quay wall close to the South Gate Bridge.

The incident left a large hole in the face of the northern quay wall just a few yards downstream from the more than 300-year-old bridge, in a section of quay wall which abuts the privately-owned 24-hour City Car Park.

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Firefighters had to seal off a section of the car park, and temporarily closed the bridge and some nearby roads and footpaths amid fears for public safety. Following an initial inspection and assessment, the roads were reopened to traffic within a few hours but it took a few more days before the council approved the reopening of a nearby footpath.

The council's insistence last week that responsibility for repairing the damage rests with a private landowner prompted calls from several city councillors for the council to step in.

Mr Boyle tabled a written question asking the council chief executive if the deteriorating quay wall could be defined as a dangerous structure under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1964 and if the council would make use of this legislation to do the repairs, and then bill the owners of the quay wall accordingly.

The wall at the car park near South Gate Bridge which collapsed in Cork last month. Firefighters had to seal off a section of the car park, and temporarily closed the bridge and some nearby roads and footpaths amid fears for public safety. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

But Adrienne Rodgers, the director of services in the council’s community, culture and placemaking directorate, said engineers who assessed the damage were “firm” in their assertion that there is “no immediate danger to public health and safety”.

Mr Boyle said he also has concerns about crumbling quay walls at French’s Quay and Lancaster Quay and he asked if the council planned to do a wider audit of the city’s quay walls.

Ms Rodgers said it is her understanding that a condition survey took place a number of years ago but she said she has not been involved in such a survey in recent years.

Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy said the council should be able to intervene legally if the damage affects the public realm.