why so little underground car parks?

dinneenp

Hi,
I'm just wondering why Ireland has so few underground car parks? Is it that it's a lot more expensive to build?
I'd have thought that people/the authorities would be in favour of them as it means that large amounts of space in city center isn't taken up by them. This space can then be used for something else (most likely shops, offices).

Cheers,
pa.

cantdecide

Kingsley Hotel, Cork

cadaliac

Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick are all built on or very near to the sea. Rivers flow into them and generally the land is very soft and wet. Cost would be the main deterant and of course (as above) flooding.

Rowley Birkin QC

They are more expensive to construct, up to 4 times more expensive IIRC and in general motorists prefer surface car parks.

Had a few lectures from Liam Keilthy, he runs this website. Some interesting stuff there.

Berty

A lot of underground works are going to upset any workings.

Underneath Limerick there are miles upon miles of old sewerage works much like those you would see in the movies.

People in town houses had a basement access stairs where their staff would dispose of their "waste". Imagine the planning requires to turn a section of that into an underground car park.

Being by the sea does not really make too much of a difference. See the Maritime Hotel in Bantrys underground car park for example. Its the abbutment wall of the bay, 1 side your car and the other side the water.

Cheeble

cantdecide wrote: »

Kingsley Hotel, Cork

Shouldn't have left the barriers up...

Cheeble-eers

mike65

cadaliac wrote: »

Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick are all built on or very near to the sea. Rivers flow into them and generally the land is very soft and wet. Cost would be the main deterant and of course (as above) flooding.

Waterford also shares these characteristics for those who have never heard of the pace and no not of its location, and does have an undergound carpark beneath City Square shopping centre.

A spead of gravel on a brown field site is dirt cheap, contruction of an underground is clearly much more expensive to both build and run.

robbie99

Why settle for an underground when you can have multistory? Plenty of them in Dublin!

waxon-waxoff

Are ya jokin? Every city is full of them. 90% of apartment blocks has an underground car park. I know of one that has four levels underground. You probably dont notice them as the entrance is discreet and often off a side street or alley. Only the commercial ones are overground usually. Many spaces are rented to daily commuters long term

galwaytt

Having built a basement under my own house, I can attest to the cost.......

Wishbone Ash

galwaytt wrote: »

Having built a basement under my own house, I can attest to the cost.......

....as an afterthought! :eek: