An Taisce Pre-Draft Comments on Cork City Council-commissioned 'Integrated Urban Study' for Shandon Area IntroductionAn Taisce welcomes this initiative for a heritage-led Integrated Urban Study on the historic Shandon area of Cork city with a view to its revitalisation. With its superb hill-top landmark church towers of St. Anne's and the North Cathedral, and the other historic monuments of the Butter Museum, Firkin Crane and Skiddy's Almshouse, plus surrounding urban fabric, Shandon should be one of Europe's great historic districts but it feels neglected, a little shabby and is dominated by cars.Building StockWhile no great damage has occurred to the historic street-plan of the area over the years (for example by road widening, new roads or largescale demolition/redevelopment) much unsympathetic alteration and replacement of features to the older building stock has occurred. As noted in 'The Buildings of Ireland - Cork City and County' (Keohane, 2020) "the houses [along Shandon's main street] are for the most part badly knocked about".In this respect please see also our recent post on X (formerly Twitter), comprising a photo "walking tour" up Shandon Street, with a quick detour into Church Street, looking at how seven different buildings or locations have fared over the years from a conservation perspective. It is regrettable to note that loss, whittling away and inappropriate replacement of traditional features or other fabric has been the prevailing trend. Problems include replacement of traditional timber sliding sash windows in PVC, replacement of natural slate roofs with artificial slate and traditional iron roof gutters and downpipes with PVC, removal of rooftop chimneys, which are important to the architectural form, appearance and plot delineation of traditional buildings and streetscapes, introduction of inappropriate suburban-type overhanging roof eaves to the older buildings, and poor quality or inappropriate shopfronts and signage. Additionally, where new builds are necessary, replacement window shapes often do not retain the varied proportions of original window layouts, where the different scale between the first and higher floor windows is important. New replacement buildings are often clearly not in keeping with the prevailing local historic styles for this reason (see '5/11' of linked X post above). Shopfronts of Shandon should be correctly detailed in the local tradition. The Cork County Council document 'Shopfronts of County Cork, A Guide to the Historic Setting' (applicable to the city too) provides good advice concerning the history of, and appropriate design, materials and signage for, Cork's shopfronts and for how to approach use of modern shopfront design in an historic setting. Shandon was designated an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) in recent years, affording statutory protection and status to the historic aspects however no great improvement or change in these respects is observable on the ground to date. An Taisce would like to see the development of a "conservation culture" for the older building stock, encouraging repair and restoration projects with use of correct materials and skills. In this respect the local authority might consider a best-practice demonstration project to generate interest.Particular buildings or streetscapes in the ACA are of note due to their prominent situations or visibility and may warrant targeted incentives for conservation-based repair and upgrading. For example, the condition and appearance of the two corner buildings at the junction of Shandon Street and Church Street are important as they frame the axial view towards the tower of St. Anne's Church, great emblem of Cork city (see '6/11' of linked X post above). Attention might also be given to the groups of older buildings found at the bottom of Shandon Street, around Brown's Square. In particular, the prominent four storey stand-alone Georgian-era houses near the bridge (including 60 Shandon Street, NIAH-listed – see ‘2/11’ of linked X post, left side of photo). These buildings present a fine appearance on the north channel at the North Gate Bridge but need urgent attention. They have been mooted for renovation for housing purposes, which would be very welcome. As they are largely in their original stage, a best-practice conservation and rejuvenation approach is required before these buildings begin to deteriorate further. In this regard, credit is due to Cork City Council for leading the very successful restoration of two early 18th century houses at the top of Shandon Street, Nos 5/6, for housing purposes. https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40309970.html These could be the model for restoration of similar buildings in the area, including those in private ownership, with the support of the city council through targeted advice and assistance. There are good urban regeneration models in the area to look to such as that at Pope's Quay (see: https://www.mageecreedon.com/multiple-housing) where historic quay-front buildings were renovated in tandem with new courtyard housing to the rear, in sympathy with the historic footprint. In the case of new infill or development sites in Shandon, a high standard of modern design should be established which is able to coexist with and be complementary to the historic fabric and setting, and the use of traditional pastiche designs should be avoided.Public RealmShandon warrants a high-quality public realm treatment and mitigation of the significant adverse effects currently experienced by traffic movement and parking (whilst taking into account the needs of residents and businesses). For example, the quality of the public spaces around the Firkin Crane and Butter Museum historic monuments are undermined by car parking and call for improvement. The prominent space at Brown's Square adjoining North Gate Bridge also has significant potential for improvement. There are local examples of successful interventions to historic streets in Cork city such as the sett surfaces introduced in recent years at junctions along Barrack Street. The impressive regeneration of Waterford's Viking Triangle features examples of appropriate, high quality public realm and surface treatment for historic areas. Overhead cabling and traffic or lighting utilities in Shandon have become untidy, unkempt and chaotic in places, adding a cluttered and disordered effect to the street-scene, and should be addressed.Cork has good guidance documents issued by the local authority on how to define, approach and treat the historic setting - eg. 'Streetscapes of County Cork; A Design Guide for the Historic Setting' (2023) - both in respect of the public realm and of buildings, which will be worth consulting when considering works or recommendations for works in the Shandon area.Historic Network of Lanes/PathsThe small lanes and routes between street-fronted buildings are an important characteristic of the area, forming a tangible link to its post-medieval origins, and provide visual and physical interconnections, contributing interest, activity and vitality and should be maintained. An Taisce is concerned to note that an historic rear-access lane - Hagin's Lane - was eliminated when a number of buildings on Shandon Street were redeveloped during the 2000s (see '5/11' of linked X post above). In that regard, care is needed to ensure that site assembly of adjoining buildings does not lead to unnecessary erasure of original buildings, plots and laneways, due to redevelopment rather than rejuvenation. Conclusion Despite the various issues that have arisen for Shandon over the years, the area is 'lived in' with a strong sense of community and residential population (both local and 'transient') and buildings are generally occupied (though some vacancy and dereliction exist and must be tackled). No serious damage to the physical structure or heritage aspects of Shandon has occurred and the rich historical character of the area has significant potential for recovery and enhancement. Sincerely Kevin Duff (Planning Unit) Colm Desmond (An Taisce Corcaigh) Manage Cookie Preferences