Blackrock Village proposed Development

Swiper the fox

dewdrop wrote: »

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

Whatever about the grotto, I just hope that nobody has any nasty intentions for that beautiful piece of 'modern art' just behind it??:pac:

clerk

pwurple wrote: »

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.

l kind of guessed as much, the thing is that with the wall down now, it's a shocking eyesore. It looks absolutely dreadful. It's sort of all bits and bobs built onto one another. Desperate looking thing altogether.

Sure it wouldn't be Ireland if it wasn't a 'fight' over a bundle of ****e like that getting in the way of a development that will benefit the whole area.

Wasn't there some hooha over the scout hall as well at the time ?

clerk

dewdrop wrote: »

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

l can honestly say l've never seen anyone praying at the grotto in the last 20 Years. l think they've had their Day to be honest myself.

l wasn't aware they had planned to move it. Interesting.

clerk

Swiper the fox wrote: »

Whatever about the grotto, I just hope that nobody has any nasty intentions for that beautiful piece of 'modern art' just behind it??:pac:

l'd say if someone tipped it into the Lee it would be happy Days. :P

clerk

Swiper the fox wrote: »

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.

I don't think there is any plan to widen the road further up. Considering this development has taken 10 Years +, l'd say that part will happen some time in the 12th of never.

Apart from anything else l was always told over the Years by our Politicians that the convent wall was a protected structure until Eden came along and it was bashed down and now again it goes down.

05eaftqbrs9jlh

Swiper the fox wrote:

Whatever about the grotto, I just hope that nobody has any nasty intentions for that beautiful piece of 'modern art' just behind it??

Isn't the same one done bigger on the Wilton roundabout? What an eyesore.

clerk

Matthew Unsightly Penniless wrote: »

Isn't the same one done bigger on the Wilton roundabout? What an eyesore.

It is a piece of pure ****e but it looks positively epic compared to the community centre. Have a gander at that when you are passing. It's certainly an amazing structure, it's got a sort of picasso thing going on.

clerk

The Convent wall is down now all the way round to the entrance to the Ursulines on the Blackrock Road.

There is a start of a new wall running parallel to the extension on the community hall.

Some major works going on.

opus

Was out that direction for a bit of a run last night so took a few pics of progress.

roundymac

Went for a coffee there this morning, your man's business must be seriously affected by the racket being kicked up there at the moment.

D'Agger

roundymac wrote: »

Went for a coffee there this morning, your man's business must be seriously affected by the racket being kicked up there at the moment.

Ying/Yang, business will be up when it reopens from people popping down to check it out no doubt

clerk

Road restrictions again next week, starting Monday, avoid.....this on ongoing until Friday at least...

http://www.corkcity.ie/services/roadstransportation/transportationdivision/roadclosuresanddiversions/

Monday 1st August 2016
Tuesday 2nd August 2016
Blackrock Road (near the entrance to Ursuline Convent): Full closure outbound this morning from 0930hrs at the junction with Church Road to facilitate the Blackrock Harbour Redevelopment Scheme (Ward & Burke), local diversions in place

Convent Road: Full closure outbound & parking restrictions this morning from 0930hrs at the junction of Castle Road to the jct of Rope Walk to facilitate the Blackrock Harbour Redevelopment Scheme (Ward & Burke), local diversion in place

clerk

update on the road closure...
http://www.corkcity.ie/services/roadstransportation/transportationdivision/roadclosuresanddiversions/

Blackrock Road (near the entrance to Ursuline Convent): Full closure outbound at the junction with Church Road to facilitate the Blackrock Harbour Redevelopment Scheme (Ward & Burke), local diversions in place

**Please note that this closure will remain in place until late September 2016**

Convent Road: Full closure outbound & parking restrictions in place at the junction of Castle Road to the jct of Rope Walk to facilitate the Blackrock Harbour Redevelopment Scheme (Ward & Burke), local diversion in place

**Please note that this closure will remain in place until September 2016**

clerk

They are working away on this process now. Looks like it will be going on well into September.

I was down there this morning going to work and even the "dirt" road that is available (one way) towards the City was being worked on and blocked so I would say it would be best to just avoid the place altogether at rush hours, you could be stuck there for ages and don't ignore the "no go" signs, these ones are for real.

One bully ignoring the "no go" signs the other Day got stuck against a JCB and had to back his car up all the way on the "dirt" road, delaying everyone, including himself for ages. Even the bullies can't take on a JCB. The builders are going up and down that "dirt" road constantly so expect delays.

pwurple

I was down there for a walk last night. Good bit of the old tram line exposed now, though I'm not sure why they are tearing it to pieces. I thought it was supposed to be incorporated into the plaza.

People are getting a bit het up about the signs in fairness. I was popping into a family who live near the petrol station, just past where the Road closed sign is. You'd swear I was murdering babies going 10 metres past the sign into a driveway with the amount of beeping and gesturing I got. There are no works right there, it's just the last point to get back to beaumont / mahon before the church.

Yogi81

When the main drainage was laid in the village years ago, they cut straight through the tram lines.
They are now replacing the damaged ones with sections removed from further up Blackrock Road.
I'd imagine not all of the tarmac comes away easily from the cobbles also.

The tram lines and cobbles will be incorporated into the new road surface between the Ursulines entrance and the junction of Pier Head Inn.

opus

It got a mention in yesterday's Echo - HISTORIC TRAM TRACKS FEATURE IN NEW PLAN FOR BLACKROCK VILLAGE

clerk

Convent Road is now completely closed BOTH WAYS for at least the next 4 weeks. No access to Convent Road from Blackrock village.

I spoke to one of the lads working there yesterday, they closed it yesterday circa 2-3pm.

As I was down there some people were still bizarrely ignoring the "road closed" signs and driving all the way up to Convent Road, only in Ireland. One of these fellows who was turning his car around, asked me in a disgruntled tone "what was going on". I felt like saying to him when you turn around see if you find some visual clues up the road that you drove past like the "road closed" signs.

GavRedKing

Going to work this morning, I went down passedthe castle and up towards the village and right, heading down the Marina just before the bakery and convent, there was still cars coming down the convent road, at least 3 so they had ignored the signs on the Ringmahon road saying local resident access only.

Couldnt make it up. :pac:

D'Agger

Unless there's something physically blocking the road, like a digger or a large casm....the road aint closed :pac:

GavRedKing

D'Agger wrote: »

Unless there's something physically blocking the road, like a digger or a large casm....the road aint closed :pac:

Thats whats happening down there alright.

I've started going the Skehard Road to work now in the mornings, because the traffic down towards the village via the castle road and marina, due to the school being back can be a pain in the arse.

pwurple

Bus route is supplied by a mini-van around there for the next 4 weeks. You get picked up by the van, which drives up to the marion park bus-stop and leaves you there to catch the 202 coming the opposite direction to normal. Absolute pain with a buggy or a wheelchair. 202 seems to be completely random as well instead of timetabled. Was waiting 40 minutes for it last night, supposed to be every 10 or 15 mins.

I went to have a gawk at the open house apartments in the ursulines. They've done a great job on keeping the features intact. All the windows were taken out, stripped back and cleaned, restored, resealed and put back in. The floors and ceilings look great. Ceiling height is beautiful. A lot of locals like myself in having a nose.... hope they sell for them, they've done some nice work there. I have some photos, will upload later if I get time.

D'Agger

They're selling for a relatively high price yeah? They should - renovated old building in Blackrock - shut up and take my money!

On the 40mins wait for a bus - some things never change - Corks lack of bus lanes is a real issue that's debilitating to a service for a city

Barr

pwurple wrote: »

Bus route is supplied by a mini-van around there for the next 4 weeks. You get picked up by the van, which drives up to the marion park bus-stop and leaves you there to catch the 202 coming the opposite direction to normal. Absolute pain with a buggy or a wheelchair. 202 seems to be completely random as well instead of timetabled. Was waiting 40 minutes for it last night, supposed to be every 10 or 15 mins.

I went to have a gawk at the open house apartments in the ursulines. They've done a great job on keeping the features intact. All the windows were taken out, stripped back and cleaned, restored, resealed and put back in. The floors and ceilings look great. Ceiling height is beautiful. A lot of locals like myself in having a nose.... hope they sell for them, they've done some nice work there. I have some photos, will upload later if I get time.

So where does the van start , is it there by Mahon close to St Micheals football.

I suppose it is too tight to negotiate by the pier head at the moment for a bus :eek:

clerk

Barr wrote: »

I suppose it is too tight to negotiate by the pier head at the moment for a bus :eek:

yes, there's no way the bus could go the normal route, Castle road is not an option for a bus, so it's just blocked off and that's it. Must be very awkward for some people, no question about it.

pwurple

Photos and prices here:

Professional ones
https://www.lisney.com/new-homes-for-sale/property-for-sale-in-blackrock-house-blackrock-cork/18375

My snaps.

.red.

Stunning looking apartments, pretty big in size too. The 2 bed are bigger than a lot of 3 bed houses.
The price tho, is a bit steep although I can't imagine it'll be a problem.

clerk

Talking to a few locals last night and looking at the progress of the works, it looks like Convent Road will be blocked for at least another 3 weeks from now. Electricity poles along the "old" line of the road are yet to be moved for example. Footpaths on the side where the houses are, are yet to be done etc.

They have parking set up into the line of the footpaths on the Convent side of the road, not a huge amount I would say probably just about enough for the people that live there to park in (if they can get them!). So I guess there will be less parking outside the actual houses which would reduce the bottleneck towards the top of the road as you come to the corner turn where the nuns are.

Apparently they're putting rail way tracks on both sides of the road outside the Convent (one side is more or less done, the other is yet to be started) and all the area in the village itself will be cobblestones (apart from footpaths) so you'll have to take it nice and handy in the car, which is exactly the plan, traffic calming.

There's putting in those footpaths with big swings in them outside the Pier Head and the other side, traffic calming again.

Barr

Thanks for the update clerk , I was wondering how long more Convent Road will be closed. Glad you mentioned that

What are the footpaths with big swings ? not sure what this is

clerk

Barr wrote: »

What are the footpaths with big swings ? not sure what this is

I suppose what I was trying to say was that the footpath coming down Convent Road and when you get to the corner outside the Pier Head pub, the footpath on the Pier Head pub side will move out from the Pier Head pub in a kind of curve, i.e. the footpath will no longer be in a straight line.

Talking to a fellow in the Council he said that setup was all the go now, he called it traffic calming, so outside the Pier Head pub you'd now have to slow down as you get to the curve in the footpath.

The outline of that footpath (outside the Pier Head pub) was there when I was looking at the building works on Sunday.