Blackrock Village proposed Development

pwurple

Just back from a walk down the marina. The road behind the coffe shop has been taken up. They have put up barriers and work signage. The part behind the newer wall in the convent is all dug up, more barriers and they have started stacking materials there. Just before 8pm, there were 3 or 4 people in high vis working there operating machinery.

clerk

Was talking to someone today on this, apparently they're putting another road into the Convent so you will have a road 'in' and 'out'. Presumably to do with opening up the "old" Ursulines building. My wife seems to think that they might be trying to rent out the old Ursulines building but l'm not sure ? anybody hear anything about that ?

Still not sure if the park will happen ?

Ron Burgundy II

clerk wrote: »

Was talking to someone today on this, apparently they're putting another road into the Convent so you will have a road 'in' and 'out'. Presumably to do with opening up the "old" Ursulines building. My wife seems to think that they might be trying to rent out the old Ursulines building but l'm not sure ? anybody hear anything about that ?

Still not sure if the park will happen ?

Are they not converting the old Ursulines Building into apartments?

clerk

Ron Burgundy II wrote: »

Are they not converting the old Ursulines Building into apartments?

Ok, thanks.

That's what my wife heard but it seems mad. it's a protected building with spiral staircases and the lot. I wouldn't have thought apartments would not have been appropriate for a structure of that type.

There are already a tonne of apartments around the City available to rent, including right beside it in the Garden of Eden but sure I suppose the planning goes out the window when the money men roll in.

I suppose it'll be 1 parking spot per apartment again (like Eden) to ensure total parking havoc for the general Blackrock area. A load of people on the Meadow Grove side of Eden have sold up since Eden decided to put an unofficial car park outside their houses and a lot of people in the houses on convent road going down to Blackrock village complain about people parking outside their houses as well. It's going to be some carry on.

Ron Burgundy II

clerk wrote: »

Ok, thanks.

That's what my wife heard but it seems mad. it's a protected building with spiral staircases and the lot. I wouldn't have thought apartments would not have been appropriate for a structure of that type.

There are already a tonne of apartments around the City available to rent, including right beside it in the Garden of Eden but sure I suppose the planning goes out the window when the money men roll in.

I suppose it'll be 1 parking spot per apartment again (like Eden) to ensure total parking havoc for the general Blackrock area. A load of people on the Meadow Grove side of Eden have sold up since Eden decided to put an unofficial car park outside their houses and a lot of people in the houses on convent road going down to Blackrock village complain about people parking outside their houses as well. It's going to be some carry on.

Very little in the way of apartments to rent in Cork City. A liquidator was appointed to Eden recently and anyone renting from the developer were served eviction notices. So nothing really for rent within Eden until the apartments the liquidator are involved in are sold on. I need to check out the planning requirements, but when Eden was developed the car parking requirements was 1.25 spaces per apartment and 2 for houses. This may still be the case.

I haven't seen many for sale signs around Meadow, interesting to hear people have moved on.

Yeah the double yellow lines running from the small brown bungalow to the entrance of Eden on the Meadow Grove side hasn't deterred the residents. Parking on both sides of the road.

Parking is a serious issue in the village especially on Sundays for the market. Something needs to be done with this very quickly, before someone gets hurt.

Yogi81

Where they have the site office in the convent grounds is going to be a lay-by with parking spaces, to replace the existing village carpark if/when the additional funding is ready.
The works that are going ahead at present are for the roads only, but they are hoping that the additional funding will become available while the contractors are there, to do the development of the existing carpark and dredge the foreshore (so that it fills daily to flush it all out and remove the knotweed)

clerk

Ron Burgundy II wrote: »

I haven't seen many for sale signs around Meadow, interesting to hear people have moved on.

There have been a good few houses sold in Meadow Grove on that stretch across from the side entrance to Eden since Eden was built, other parts of the estate not so much. The 2 houses either side of the corner sold, that corner is murder now backing onto the road.

Also, another one is for sale at the moment, say in that stretch of 10 houses. They're driven demented with the parking or overslip from Eden.

You mention 1.25 spaces per apartment, and not getting at you but in general that's nuts in this Day and age. Partically every adult in those apartments will have a car plus naturally the apartments will have loads of visitors that have no parking.

The local residents in that area don't have a huge problem with the 'reality' that some individuals in Eden have no parking because it is a fact. But the planning laws are a arse and regarding that particular area of Meadow Grove which was once a nice area it is a mess to live with on a Day to Day basis. You're nearly taking your life in your hands pulling out of your drive with some of the headbangers flying through there and the road is way narrower now with all the parking on both sides.

clerk

Ron Burgundy II wrote: »

Very little in the way of apartments to rent in Cork City.

To be honest I wouldn't be an expert on that, things must be picking up because a couple of Years ago there seemed to be loads of apartments available just talking to people in general.

opus

The current state of play there....

pogsick

Mentioned in today's echo

http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/seven-year-wait-blackrock-revamp-ends/2011731/

clerk

The thing about it is, as I understand how this process stands. The building in the Ursulines is building of a 2nd road in the Ursulines, which is basically zero amenity for the community but rather a commercial venture. Also they are clearly widening the road (as you can clearly see in the picture in the "Echo" article) but again I strongly suspect that is required for the new "exit" from the Ursulines, which is currently basically a commercial venture.

Therefore,unless I am mistaken and it mentions further funding required in the "Echo" article, this process as it stands is a commercial development of apartments and nothing to do with the public amenity (pending public "funding" which is on the never never). These apartments will only add further to the traffic chaos that they have turned Blackrock village into.

I think the village is being a 'sold a rather large pup' here but somebody is going to make a fortune selling these "posh" apartments with "sought after area, views of Blackrock village....blah, blah... on (rather off) the Blackrock road" and then they all piss off and we wait again, like Eden all over again.

I hope I am wrong and I truly hope that someone can tell me that I am wrong in my understanding.

Yogi81

The trees inside the wall on convent road have been cut down to allow for the road widening.
When the move that wall it will make a huge difference to the bottle neck in the village, especially when a bus comes down it during rush hour

clerk

Yogi81 wrote: »

The trees inside the wall on convent road have been cut down to allow for the road widening.
When the move that wall it will make a huge difference to the bottle neck in the village, especially when a bus comes down it during rush hour

Hi, thanks, so as far as you're aware the wall is coming down ? Any idea when ?

When you say "road widening" are you referring to the corner by the Pier Head pub ?

I agree with you about the buses, it's stunt rider stuff some Days for the buses coming down there. There's literally inch's on either side sometimes if a car is parked awkwardly. I pity any bus driver on their first run if they get cars coming against them on that stretch.

Yogi81

They are moving in the convent wall that runs along convent road near the Pier Head Inn.
They are creating two lanes with parking on the pub side, that will be off the road in a new widened foot path.

I think this road widening is only as far as the first corner (from what I have seen in drawings) but could be wrong

clerk

Yogi81 wrote: »

They are moving in the convent wall that runs along convent road near the Pier Head Inn.
They are creating two lanes with parking on the pub side, that will be off the road in a new widened foot path.

I think this road widening is only as far as the first corner (from what I have seen in drawings) but could be wrong

ok - thanks.

Rang someone earlier today who should better than most what's going on down there and he reckoned that they "are" going to put the wall back by the Pier Head within the current works. That's they're doing the prep work behind the Convent wall first.

Yes, I think you are correct the widening (as I understand it) is only up to the first corner, so you'll still have a bottleneck there but if they do what they are supposed to do it will be a massive improvement on the village side.

Swiper the fox

I was led to believe that the nuns graveyard meant widening that road was never going to happen?

pwurple

Here is the development plan.


http://www.corkcity.ie/services/strategicplanningeconomicdevelopment/localplanning/nonstatutoryplansanddevelopmentbriefs/blackrockvillageareaactionplan/

opus

Looks like some pipe work is the only change since I looked at it last time.

clerk

http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/marina-set-close-month/2171087/

COMMUTERS are facing a headache in the coming weeks with confirmation that the Marina will be closed to traffic for almost the entire month of June.

The closure, which will be in effect from 9.30am on Tuesday, June 7, until 6.30pm on Friday, July 8, is to facilitate the long-awaited redevelopment of Blackrock Harbour.

City Council officials confirm diversions will be in place for the duration of the closure.
The €1.3m project finally got underway in March, several years after it was initially proposed. Funding woes, architectural delays and archaeological works all played a part in delaying the project, which will see the harbour redeveloped as a large, open, paved plaza with priority for pedestrians and cyclists. The project requires the widening and repaving of several roads.
Phase one, which began on March 7, includes the widening and repaving of Convent Road and Blackrock Road, as well as the diversion of the road from the marina to the city side of the cafe, and the creation of the outline of the plaza.
This phase, which accounts for approximately 60% of the overall plan, will be followed by paving works and the lowering of the harbour. The latter stages of the plan are estimated to cost as much as €900,000, with funding yet to be secured.Council officials and elected representatives have previously expressed confidence that the funding would be secured before the completion of phase one.

pwurple

There can't be many commuters along the marina, it's in bits.

Might disturb some of the night activites, but sure they can find another spot.

I was walking arund there yesterday, started on the paving anyway, which is great.

clerk

Well I passed down by Blackrock village last night and delighted to say that a stretch of the Convent wall is down at top of Upper Convent Road and the diggers are working away in the field to presumably widen the road. Great stuff.

Yogi81

They also have the Marina closed off fully at the grotto end to allow the new road tie in.
Has been the first morning of no short cutting through the village carpark for cars, which is a major improvement for pedestrian safety.

The work that they have done so far looks great. The new footpaths are really nice.

GavRedKing

Was stuck at the bend as they were knocking the wall yesterday at about 1pm for a good 15mins.

All in all, the work so far looks to be progressing nicely and pretty quick too.

clerk

GavRedKing wrote: »

Was stuck at the bend as they were knocking the wall yesterday at about 1pm for a good 15mins.

All in all, the work so far looks to be progressing nicely and pretty quick too.

There is a bit of short term pain alright but all round it looks good so far and badly need.

Only about 2 weeks there was a standoff on that stretch with some cars bullying there way through as I passed or went around !!! my wife passed a good bit later and the cops were there. Must have been grid locked for the guts of 1/2 an hour at that stage, it's a ridiculous setup.

There was a van parked 'out' a bit one Day outside one of the houses and the bus was literally inching his way down towards the village. The bus actually smacked some timber hoarding off the Convent wall one Day which gives you some idea of how crazy it is for buses down there. Again literally inch's to spare.

GavRedKing

Ya, when the stop/go lights system was up there a few weeks back, coupled with the schools still open it was a nightmare, travel that way to work every morning and for about 2weeks I had to avoid it.

The changes are long overdue though, if youre caught with a bus coming against ya down there youre left with very little space to move out of its way.

Barr

There was a one way system the last couple of weeks.

This being Ireland everyone ignored the signs causing chaos :pac:

clerk

The Convent wall is down now all the way to the Pier head.

The community centre is still there though but it seems to be in the way of the widening of the road, which seems bizarre.

Swiper the fox

clerk wrote: »

The Convent wall is down now all the way to the Pier head.

The community centre is still there though but it seems to be in the way of the widening of the road, which seems bizarre.

Isn't the nuns graveyard the main issue with widening the road, that's what I had been led to believe for years when the number 2 bus was struggling down towards the village.

pwurple

clerk wrote: »

The Convent wall is down now all the way to the Pier head.

The community centre is still there though but it seems to be in the way of the widening of the road, which seems bizarre.

I checked into the community center thing. There is a problem around ownership... A few groups claim to own it. Each of them is trying to prove it.

dewdrop

Has there been any comment about the plan to move the grotto into the new playground? I have no particular views other than the grotto was a bit of a landmark