Cork City Council to demolish derelict buildings on North Main St

Protesters gathered outside the derelict buildings on North Main Street in Cork City during an anti-dereliction demonstration last year. Picture Chani Anderson.

A terrace of derelict properties on Cork city's North Main St that has become a symbol of urban blight is set to be demolished, with work due to get underway this evening.

The decision to level Nos 62-65 North Main St was taken by Cork City Council on the advice of consultant engineers that the condition of the buildings represented an immediate public-safety concern.

A visual inspection report by the engineers detected loose and missing masonry; rotten and deteriorated embedded timbers; cracking and displacement of masonry; deterioration of masonry support elements; detached building components and corrosion of elements of a temporary facade retention system.

Moreover, the report warned that substantial further deterioration of their structural fabric should be anticipated.

“In our opinion, the current condition of the remaining buildings and retained façades represents an immediate public-safety concern. There is a credible risk of localised structural failure and the potential for more significant partial collapse as deterioration progresses,” the report said.

“Accordingly, we recommend that the remaining structures at Nos. 62–65, including the retained façades at Nos 63 and 64, should now be appropriately recorded and carefully dismantled in a planned and controlled manner without undue delay.”

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