Cork developments

EdgeCase wrote: »

*If* you phone ahead. A lot of older people aren't aware of the gap being so bad or will chance it and I've seen a good few near misses where at the very least luggage has gone down onto the line.

The building's a railway station. It's not a museum of very late Victorian architecture. I tend to draw my limit at a situation that's actually quite dangerous being preserved for the sake of heritage notions. Things can be tastefully adapted to modern uses and there were far more significant railway structures in Cork, such as the viaduct over the Bandon Road let go to wreck and ruin. I wouldn't be surprised if that viaduct eventually falls down due to lack of maintenance.

There is probably a technological solution which would resolve the issues - a small bridge which could extend out from the train. If there was, it would be a far cheaper solution also.

fash wrote: »

There is probably a technological solution which would resolve the issues - a small bridge which could extend out from the train. If there was, it would be a far cheaper solution also.

They could just start using platform 5 more for intercity trains - it means the gap is mid carriage rather than at the ends where the doors are.

Markcheese wrote: »

You would be amazed at how many elderly people end up falling between the train and platform (including someone I know on Christmas eve...), I assume it ends up expensive...
It can't be that hard to have a couple of little push out platforms with hand rails, at maybe the first couple of carriages....
If ónly to save the station building :-)

People fall and trip on lots of things. The fancy pants paving they installed a few years ago around the gpo and pana are lethal in the wet. Nearly landed on my h*le stepping on that stainless steel drainage cover some design house twit thought necessary.

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

My only concern is that the vast amount of the new developments appear to be one of either:

• Hotels
• Office Space
• Student Accommodation

There's already a housing crisis and all of these extra office workers are going to have to live somewhere. Redeveloping the city centre is a great opportunity to create some high density accommodation solutions.

Hopefully some more apartments are built which will be available for sale (and not just permanently rented out)

The student accommodation is freeing up houses for non students. Our student population isn’t growing at near the same rate as student accommodation schemes.

I'd like if the developments could be a little more imaginative than 'glass box'. They are boring.

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

The student accommodation is freeing up houses for non students. Our student population isn’t growing at near the same rate as student accommodation schemes.

If you've been looking at Daft, that just isn't happening (yet).

Tomtom364 wrote: »

Considering the vast majority of new student accommodation hasn't been built yet, and it's halfway through an academic year,That's not really gonna be a good way to judge it right now.

If someone has daft data from last august/September to compare to this year and the next few years, that might show it.

The other reservation is that a lot of those houses are dilapidated from years of student living. They are family homes that no family would choose to live in without serious investment due to the (obvious) large student population in the area.

Office workers especially the tech workers won't be attracted to such properties.

The other elephant in the room is that the new student builds are incredibly expensive compared to the college road housing. To say that all students will migrate to the blocks without a serious drop in rental prices is naive at best.

It's an easy thing to say that the houses left behind after the student accomodation boom will fill the gap, but unfortunately life is never easy.

TheChizler wrote: »

Probably, but if you think about it the other way they won't want to have those new blocks go empty, if they're not filling them they'll have to drop the price. Those blocks are going to be pretty much filled one way or the other.

we'll see on that front. The blocks are built for profit, not for need. If proposed rental income drops below a certain point, they won't build.

TheChizler wrote: »

Well they're hardly going to fill blocks that don't exist! :pac:

That's the point though. The blocks will still be competing with the college road housing. To say that these companies will build and build until they replace the (comparatively) low cost rentals at the expense of their own profits just isn't realistic.

EnzoScifo wrote: »

That's the point though. The blocks will still be competing with the college road housing. To say that these companies will build and build until they replace the (comparatively) low cost rentals at the expense of their own profits just isn't realistic.

College road housing is never going to go back to being ordinary residential. and neither will the houses immediately next to CIT. Those arnt the problem as they are always going to be used by students. Its the students living in houses in places like Wilton/Ballincollig and commuting in that these places will hopefully drag in. freeing up housing being used by students in non student areas. that includes houses that are purpose let to students in those areas and also there is a large number of students renting regular non student rooms in houses all round that wouldn't be much cheaper then halls when you take bills & travel into account.

although they appear pricey, the convenience of it being one fee for everything and walking distance to campus are generally worth it. Particularly in the eyes of many parents who are footing the bill more often then not anyway.

marno21 wrote: »

The Docklands access upgrade plans have been unveiled

https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/65m-plans-unveiled-for-Corks-gateway-to-the-Docklands-8f7f7791-d6ef-4ea3-a8ea-7be2058e802e-ds

Only one way bus lanes?

Tomtom364 wrote: »

Looks to be a counter flow bus lane. That road is currently one way outbound they might not see a need for a dedicated bus lane outbound when there is already two lanes outbound

That and you mostly tend to get with-flow bus lanes in places where there's regular traffic-jams, normally due to lights. The next set of lights outbound are at the end of the Blackrock Road and don't really hold up much in that direction, and the roundabout on Victoria Road would be fairly free flowing outbound in my experience, not that I'm there often during rush hour so I could be wrong.

TheChizler wrote: »

That and you mostly tend to get with-flow bus lanes in places where there's regular traffic-jams, normally due to lights. The next set of lights outbound are at the end of the Blackrock Road and don't really hold up much in that direction, and the roundabout on Victoria Road would be fairly free flowing outbound in my experience, not that I'm there often during rush hour so I could be wrong.

I drive by there every day, the only times I've seen backlogs outbound in the lead up to the roundabout are when there's a game on at Parc Ui Caoimh or a gig at the Marquee etc. Normally I just fly straight through no problem.

Sometimes you do get assholes sitting on the roundabout (because of the queue on Albert Road) blocking your passage through to Blackrock Road, but that's it.

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Which developments are glass boxes?

Navigation Square, Horgans Quay and Penrose Quay are all various mixes of concrete, cladding and glass.

And before you say it, yes buildings do need windows. The bigger they are the more natural light gets in.

Generally speaking they are awful looking yokes.
The only new development that I like is the Capitol, which at least makes an attempt to blend into the surrounding buildings.

whisky_galore wrote: »

Generally speaking they are awful looking yokes.
The only new development that I like is the Capitol, which at least makes an attempt to blend into the surrounding buildings.

What would exactly fit in in Horgans Quay for instance? A 2 story red brick terrace to work with the train station?