Collapsed building on derelict sites register for over 13 years
The building that collapsed at 49 Upper Cork Street in Mitchelstown last week has brought to light the number of buildings in the area that are on the 2020 register of derelict properties, including two more in Mitchelstown, and a further eight in the town of Fermoy. While in Kilfinane, Co Limerick, there are five buildings on the Derelict Sites Register of Limerick City and County Council.
The Mitchelstown property that partially collapsed on last Wednesday week had been on the derelict sites register for over 13 years, having been registered on 12th December, 2007. It was purchased by an unknown bidder on 30th September, 2020 for €61,000 on the online property trading site BidX1.
At that time, it was described thus: ‘Derelict end of terrace house. Three storey beneath a pitched roof. Gardens to the rear. Requires refurbishment.’
Cork County Council were contacted regarding the potential danger of the site by TheAvondhu on 11th June, having been alerted by local resident Theresa Ryan. Theresa expressed her relief that the barriers had been extended since the council were contacted, which went some way towards mitigating the damage.
“At the time, I didn’t know who to contact because I knew it was going to fall, so I thought, I’ll contact The Avondhu. At least the extra barrier went up, and I’m so glad that no one was hurt. It was my biggest fear that it would come down on someone”.
Cork County Council have confirmed that they issued correspondence to the ‘solicitors acting for the owner of the property in June, following an assessment of the building. Further subsequent telephone contact was also made by the Council on foot of this correspondence’.
On the evening of the collapse - Wednesday, July 7th - Cork County Council requested the attendance of a specialist structural engineer to the site to assess and advise on the collapse.
When TheAvondhu contacted Cork County Council to query the dates of the assessment, the outcome of the assessment, and what will happen with the building now, the council advised that they have no further comment to make, and any further queries on this matter should be addressed via the Freedom of Information process.
HISTORY
A building has been on the site since the 1800s and an ordnance survey map of 1842 shows the presence of a building on what was then known as George’s Street. According to historian Bill Power, the buildings at current-day numbers 49 (the building that partially collapsed) and 50 (formerly Sandra’s Hair Studio) can be seen in a postcard from 1918, with no other building attached. Number 51, the third house on the right, was a later addition, possibly 1930s or later.
Popularly known as Brown’s Shoe Shop, it became a cobbler’s sometime after 1930, and remained a shoe repair shop up until the late 1980s.
There is no evidence to suggest that all three buildings were ever one structure, nor that number 49, or the adjoining buildings, were a hotel or accommodation hostel of any kind, as has been suggested locally. Mr Power explained to TheAvondhu that a building using the name ‘hotel’ would be a very loose definition according to modern standards, and if it was a ‘hotel’, would have been more akin to a hostel.
In the 19th and early 20th Century there were three hotels proper in Mitchelstown - the Kingston Arms in Kings Square, the Commercial Hotel at what is now Paul Roche’s, and The Royal, at the site of what is now The Clongibbon House Hotel.