Cork city buildings to be demolished

Two buildings on the historic spine of Cork city are to be demolished after one of them partially collapsed.

The work on North Main St, close to its junction with Castle St and Liberty St, will begin this morning and could take up to three weeks to complete. The area around the three-storey buildings remains cordoned off and traffic restrictions are still in place on the street. Pedestrian access is restricted to the eastern side of the street.

The decision to demolish the properties was taken following an urgent structural assessment ordered in the wake of the collapse incident on Thursday evening.

A large portion to the rear of one of the buildings collapsed into an internal storage yard at around 6.30pm. There were no injuries.

City Hall building controls officials liaised with the building owner and their engineers on Friday and two buildings were deemed structurally unsafe.

Preparations were put in place over the weekend so the demolition crews could move on site this morning. The complex operation, which is being undertaken by Loftus Demolition, is expected to reduce both building to slab level.

The council has declined to reveal the identity of the owner of buildings.

Local business leader and city councillors said the situation proves the need for a tougher approach and more government funding to tackle long-term vacancy and dereliction.

The North Main Street Traders’ Association said authorities must take a more aggressive approach towards the owners of long-term vacant or derelict buildings to prevent such incidents.