Public Toilet plans beside English Market

lostinsuperfunk

Apparently some of the traders had an alternative plan for that closed unit.

They wanted some sort of tourist display/reception area and were in discussions with another section of the council and other tourism bodies.

But according to the Examiner, that's what is actually being proposed:

The council plans to renovate the ground floor of the former Hilser's building into a city council information and public display centre and to install public toilets and public changing facilities.

I don't know that the traders' issue is. We need more public toilets, and this sounds like a good facility. The existing toilet in the English Market is inadequate and even if the closed Grand Parade toilet was reopened it still wouldn't be sufficient.

yenom

whisky_galore wrote: »

Not having public toilets doesn't make addicts and drinkers disappear magically.

They use the bus station toilets at the moment to shoot up. I imagine the traders don't want them shooting up next to the market.

sporina

lostinsuperfunk wrote: »

But according to the Examiner, that's what is actually being proposed:


I don't know that the traders' issue is. We need more public toilets, and this sounds like a good facility. The existing toilet in the English Market is inadequate and even if the closed Grand Parade toilet was reopened it still wouldn't be sufficient.

from the same article, what do they mean by this? "It’s proposed to open the Grand Parade building's toilets to the general public from 10am to 8pm, seven days a week, at 50c a go"

whisky_galore

yenom wrote: »

They use the bus station toilets at the moment to shoot up. I imagine the traders don't want them shooting up next to the market.

Can you think of any public building with a prominent sh1tter right in front, at the entrance?
Does your house have a toilet in the front?

beer enigma

Fully support additional facilities in the area, especially if they are manned and maintained, but this just isn't the place for one. Its slap bang in between the two open entrances to the market.

I'm sure it wont smell :rolleyes: but even the thought of it feels wrong. The other side is that any queuing for the toilets will intermingle with the people in and out of the market. At the moment with limited access it would be unworkable with the security and queues on the market. That area is jammers in the Summer an a 'loo queue' would be messy.

As I say totally in favour of more facilities....just not there...imagine that whole middle section as a toilet

sporina

beer enigma wrote: »

Fully support additional facilities in the area, especially if they are manned and maintained, but this just isn't the place for one. Its slap bang in between the two open entrances to the market.

I'm sure it wont smell :rolleyes: but even the thought of it feels wrong. The other side is that any queuing for the toilets will intermingle with the people in and out of the market. At the moment with limited access it would be unworkable with the security and queues on the market. That area is jammers in the Summer an a 'loo queue' would be messy.

As I say totally in favour of more facilities....just not there...imagine that whole middle section as a toilet

excellent post - take a bow! you should show that pic to City Council... it really shows how that building should be turned into something perhaps representative of the market... not fecking loos! and yes - such a good point regarding queues for loos.. I am telling you - go to CCC with this! Obv we need public loos but not there. Such a waste of a prominent building/location..

beer enigma

The other issue that putting toilets there doesn't address is the drug use reason the old ones were closed for - it would be same problem, different location.

Leave the old ones closed because of drug misuse, but open a new location ? where's the thinking or logic in that. This photo shows why the old ones were closed.

RINO87

I've always wondered this, but why is the English market seen as a tourist attraction? Genuine question! I mean they are everywhere on the continent, most towns over a certain size have them.

beer enigma

Because if you are into food then they are a huge attraction. One of the main reasons I visited Barcelona was to see the Boqueria, likewise the Time Out in Lisbon and Borough Market in London.

Probably doesn't translate to everyone but 30% of all the visitors to the English Market during the summer are tourists.

sprucemoose

ive proposed some questionable designs in my career, but to use the street-facing facade of arguably the most popular tourist destination in the city, facing onto a very busy street - lunacy. Im not too familiar with who owns the unit or who is proposing this idea, but it just shows the lack of intelligence that the owners/designers/council/planning dept (delete as appropriate) have. add to this, there are already existing toilets a few metres across the road - clean/fix these and ensure theyre safe before doing anything else

who_me

RINO87 wrote: »

I've always wondered this, but why is the English market seen as a tourist attraction? Genuine question! I mean they are everywhere on the continent, most towns over a certain size have them.

Not sure why either, but it seems to be. Have heard that a lot of traders previously were complaining about people coming in for a look but not necessarily buying anything, making it crowded for paying customers.

I remember walking by a group of (German, maybe) girls on the Grand Parade, who got all excited when they spotted it and had to go in. Strange, but then I guess the city doesn't really have many destinations/draws either, so happy to have anything.

Pandiculation

It’s unusual in an Irish context or even compared to most British cities, as most of those markets have gone.

You see a similar fuss in the US with the Seattle Public Market and Faneuil Hall in Boston and plenty of lesser known ones.

Surely there must be a better option for toilets though? They’re not likely to be needed forever and certainly making that location a permanent toilet bloc is a bad idea.

Surely there are better locations? There are plenty of empty spaces around.

PreCocious

The proposal is to convert Hilsers into an information centre that also contains toilets. Hopefully these would be better than the crap ones that are already in the Market within feet of food stalls including the ones used by market traders.

It is a good point about the touristic aspects of the market. Before Covid the traders imposed a ban on walking tours at certain periods - rightly so because tourists aren't going to be buying most of the stuff in there. If you look at the touristy markets abroad the Boqueria is becoming full of juice bars and places dealing purely with tourists and not folk who are purchasing to bring home and cook their dinner.

RINO87

beer enigma wrote: »

Because if you are into food then they are a huge attraction. One of the main reasons I visited Barcelona was to see the Boqueria, likewise the Time Out in Lisbon and Borough Market in London.

Probably doesn't translate to everyone but 30% of all the visitors to the English Market during the summer are tourists.

I agree, but the places you have listed are on another level completely to the English market.

notAMember

RINO87 wrote: »

I agree, but the places you have listed are on another level completely to the English market.

Cork city is ~500k people. London is close to 9 million? I think we're punching above our weight here in fairness with this kind of facility.

Also, it was created in the 1780's... and still functions as a working market. Not too shabby lads!

titan18

beer enigma wrote: »

Because if you are into food then they are a huge attraction. One of the main reasons I visited Barcelona was to see the Boqueria, likewise the Time Out in Lisbon and Borough Market in London.

Probably doesn't translate to everyone but 30% of all the visitors to the English Market during the summer are tourists.

TimeOut markets are a completely different level than the English Market tbf. I've been in the one in Lisbon and it is fantastic though.

I'd also imagine the reason it's popular with tourists is cos what else is there in the city.

the beer revolu

I love The English Market and I love visiting markets abroad. I even enjoy visiting supermarkets abroad.

notAMember

titan18 wrote: »

I'd also imagine the reason it's popular with tourists is cos what else is there in the city.

Galleries- there are loads of them, Museums (butter museum is great in particular!), Shandon bells, st finbarrs cathedral, the city gaol. Pubs and music venues, cafes, restaurants. Walking tours of the bridges, amazing stories around some of those. Kayaking tours on the river. There's loads of tourist stuff in Cork!


Sometimes it's nice to take a few days and be a tourist in your own city. Enjoy!

notAMember

notAMember wrote: »

Galleries- there are loads of them, Museums (butter museum is great in particular!), Shandon bells, st finbarrs cathedral, the city gaol. Pubs and music venues, cafes, restaurants. Walking tours of the bridges, amazing stories around some of those. Kayaking tours on the river. There's loads of tourist stuff in Cork!


Sometimes it's nice to take a few days and be a tourist in your own city. Enjoy!

You can see everything there is to see in Cork City in a day.

notAMember

Deleted User wrote: »

You can see everything there is to see in Cork City in a day.

Ah now, You boardsies are a fierce mopey lot! Would want to get out more. Cork is absolutely stuffed with interesting things.

I've lived here for decades and still not seen it all, after showing many visitors around. I haven't been in every restaurant, every cafe. I don't know the story of every bridge, only saw the drowning cell under south gate bridge a few years ago.

Not everyone knows this story either...
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/dr-james-barry-the-irishwoman-who-fooled-the-british-empire-1.2781260


Taking a walk up military hill, over to the barracks and around that area would take you a day in itself and you still wouldn't know it.

There are plenty of nooks and crannys in UCC too. Ever explored the Honan?

notAMember

notAMember wrote: »

Ah now, You boardsies are a fierce mopey lot! Would want to get out more. Cork is absolutely stuffed with interesting things.

I've lived here for decades and still not seen it all, after showing many visitors around. I haven't been in every restaurant, every cafe. I don't know the story of every bridge, only saw the drowning cell under south gate bridge a few years ago.

Not everyone knows this story either...
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/dr-james-barry-the-irishwoman-who-fooled-the-british-empire-1.2781260


Taking a walk up military hill, over to the barracks and around that area would take you a day in itself and you still wouldn't know it.

There are plenty of nooks and crannys in UCC too. Ever explored the Honan?

I was born and raised there. I have seen it all.

notAMember

Deleted User wrote: »

I was born and raised there. I have seen it all.

Cool cool, which river tour did you prefer?

titan18

notAMember wrote: »

Galleries- there are loads of them, Museums (butter museum is great in particular!), Shandon bells, st finbarrs cathedral, the city gaol. Pubs and music venues, cafes, restaurants. Walking tours of the bridges, amazing stories around some of those. Kayaking tours on the river. There's loads of tourist stuff in Cork!


Sometimes it's nice to take a few days and be a tourist in your own city. Enjoy!

Id say St Finbarrs, UCC and the English Market are probably the biggest 3, and obviously pubs. Our museums are meh, and our restaurants and cafes serve the same stuff you'd get anywhere else.

notAMember

notAMember wrote: »

Cool cool, which river tour did you prefer?

The "Don't Get Triggered Online" Tour. You should try it, you definitely need it.

notAMember

Deleted User wrote: »

The "Don't Get Triggered Online" Tour. You should try it, you definitely need it.

Hah. Thought so.

Too busy getting ghosted by online dates and playing with your Xbox to have seen the city.

No need to talk it down though.

notAMember

notAMember wrote: »

Hah. Thought so.

Too busy getting ghosted by online dates and playing with your Xbox to have seen the city.

No need to talk it down though.

Now you're scouring my post history. Well and truly rattled.

LOL

PreCocious

titan18 wrote: »

Id say St Finbarrs, UCC and the English Market are probably the biggest 3, and obviously pubs. Our museums are meh, and our restaurants and cafes serve the same stuff you'd get anywhere else.

St Finbarr's is meh. Shandon would be more of an attraction - you get to make noise and have a great view of the city. UCC isn't particularly worth a visit. The Crawford isn't bad particularly its Irish collection.

titan18

titan18 wrote: »

Id say St Finbarrs, UCC and the English Market are probably the biggest 3, and obviously pubs. Our museums are meh, and our restaurants and cafes serve the same stuff you'd get anywhere else.

That's about it really. A quick loop through Finbarrs, UCC, Fitzgerald's, then in town to a disappointing art gallery and a ****e coffee somewhere before strolling around the English Market.

Anything else is fluff.

It's gets old after a few goes. Unless you're the easily amused kind.

sporina

Of course The English Market is a massive tourist attraction.. I would have thought that was v obvious.. tourists wanna see and experience a country's culture - and food is obviously a massive part of that, no matter where you go in the world..

But tourism is not just about culture,.. its about learning how another country lives. from all points of view.. economical, social etc.. and the market is full of evidence of both.. seeing what natural resources we have eg: fishing, cheese making etc.. I often see people taking pics of the monkfish at the Ballycotton Stall, and of the pigs head in one of the meat stalls... tourist can also see how the locals interacting with one another as they go about their biz in the market..

And its so full of history which is of interest to tourist too..

I love it - and love visiting markets when abroad.. trying new foods, having the craic with the vendors, soaking up the local atm etc.. was in one in Lima and it was kinda scary though.. live animals caged up going mad.. twas like a mart as well :eek:

titan18

PreCocious wrote: »

St Finbarr's is meh. Shandon would be more of an attraction - you get to make noise and have a great view of the city. UCC isn't particularly worth a visit. The Crawford isn't bad particularly its Irish collection.

UCC gets attention cos of the Quad tbf and the whole Hogwarts looking thing.