1.70 North Main Street extends from Griffith Bridge (the former North Gate Bridge) in the north, which carries the road from Shandon to the river-island, to Castle Square in the south via the river-island. The road makes its way across the former river-island with a slight curve and a noticeable widening towards its southern end, characteristics typical of the medieval period. The road crosses a now culverted channel to the present day South Main Street and terminates at the former Castle Square. 1.71 The buildings on the western sides of Grand Parade, Cornmarket Street, Henry Street and Cross Street are built approximately along the line of the former city wall. These streets correspond with the river channels which formerly surrounded the walled medieval city and provided both access for trading and protection from attack.
Church of Ireland Parish Church, St. Peter’s (Cork Vision Centre) which is set-back from the street front, behind cast iron railings.
Issues
1.74 The area continues to suffer from the continuing decline of its traditional economic and social role despite the uplift generated by the 1994 Historic Centre Action Plan. That initiative needs to be followed up with a sustained effort on the part of the City Council, local residents, businesspeople, property owners and the general community who use the area. 1.75 The lack of integration with the modern commercial city district to the east is improving by way of planned upgrades to Cornmarket Street and by the coming on stream of the key retail opportunity site on the Old Guy’s site. The demand for ground floor retail space is growing but needs to be supported to ensure continued commercial vibrancy of the area. While narrow building frontages and the small scale of buildings make some modern uses difficult to accommodate the overall identity of the area needs to be strengthened so that the aera’s archaeological and architectural richness can be actively maintained.
Building Typology
1.72 Along North and South Main Streets, the buildings are mostly narrow fronted with long plots and with a laneway running between each pair of buildings. Many of the laneways are now incorporated into buildings as hallways or private accesses. Building heights are mainly between 3 and 4 storeys, with commercial premises on the ground floors. Buildings on the secondary streets are similar, but with a mix of commercial premises and domestic houses. Because of the narrow frontages, many businesses in North and South Main Street and the larger side streets extend across a number of buildings and plots. 1.73 External finishes are mainly painted plaster over brick and rubble stone walls, timber sliding sash windows, stone slated pitched roofs with cast-iron rainwater goods. A number of larger scale buildings are located at the northern end of North Main Street which provide city-wide leisure and shopping facilities in modern complexes. There are a number of institutional buildings within the area. Notable examples include the mid-20th century Franciscan and Augustinian Churches, the Catholic Young Men’s Society Hall, and the 18th century former
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Cork City Draft Development Plan 2022-2028
Volume 3 I Part 1
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