Legal hitch delays purchase of buildings that symbolise Cork city's dereliction problem

The four buildings were owned by David O’Connor and Bryan O’Connor when they were placed on the derelict sites register in December 2015

An Bord Pleanála considers each of the structures to be in 'a ruinous and dangerous condition'. Picture: Larry Cummins

Four vacant eyesore buildings which have come to symbolise the blight of dereliction in Cork city are still mired in a legal wrangle, with the dereliction set to endure indefinitely.

The four adjoining buildings on historic North Main Street were approved for acquisition by Cork City Council using the compulsory purchase order (CPO) process in February 2022. But the Irish Examiner reported last November how a legal snag, understood to be linked to the title of one of the properties, had emerged.