Community Action Group

Why are we objecting?

There are at least three major headline issues in response to any submission on the development of the GS site:

1a: The principle of how the site should and could be utilised.

There is a consensus that the site should not remain derelict, but the repurposing of the site should be discussed by the local community and not left to some quick-fix developer.

It is not a fait accompli that a massive complex of buildings will or should exist there. Many examples exist of imaginative alternatives in Cork city (the Nano Nagle site, the Blackrock Ursuline convent site) and elsewhere in Ireland and abroad. Imagination, foresight, aesthetics, a sense of history and community of this long-established 'village' should all be prioritised.

1b: The viability of the proposal

and its impact on the area and the local local population.

2: The development and construction phase

(3-4 years (?), assuming it isn't abandoned half-way through). This was barely touched on at the Farol meeting. Construction and development are severely hampered by many issues, not least by the topography and geology of the area, the very challenging road access and poor local infrastructure. Apart from the immediately adjacent residents, all other SW residents and those people who pass through SW will be severely affected in one way or another over a very lengthy period of time.

3: The Occupancy of the site and its consequences

1. numbers of occupants (the current application plans an increase of approx 20% over the last application, plus there would be almost 1000 tourists during the 3+ months of the non-academic year);
2. type of occupants;
3. architecture and layout;
4. multiple issues regarding how the development would impact on the historical, archaeological, geological and environmental/ecological aspects of the site and the surrounding area.

We are objecting because so far, all the proposals for the development of the Good Shepherd Convent site have been unrealistic and will be detrimental to the character of the area and indeed the fine city we are proud to be part of.

The starting point for all the problems is the sheer size of the proposed developments. This last proposal hopes to house about 1,000 students. This is an increase of 100% or more on the population of the area. Unlike previous proposals which were aimed at alleviating our dire housing shortage, this proposal is a for-profit venture for creating transient student accomodation.

Doubling the density of a small area like this will destroy the suburbs of Sunday's Well and Blarney Street, will lead to intolerable living conditions for the residents of these areas, and will raise severe infrastructural issues for the city.

There is only one bus service for the area (which goes nowhere near the town centre!) It is currently an extremely infrequent service, and all bus drivers are wary of the steep left turn up into Shanakiel Road. Apple has over 4,500 parking spaces for cars for their employees, and a source close to Apple told us that driving to work by car is the norm for employees, even for those who live just ten minutes down the road.

Ironically, Irish Times online 2015-05-21 said: Apple got permission from Cork City Council for 285 additional parking places in order to facilitate the continued successful operation of Apple operations in Cork 'in the absence of frequent public transport provision'.

Many students have cars: UCC has three large parking areas for people who are not staff, and these are often totally full from early in the morning. The same is true for the CIT which is further away than UCC. The majority of buildings of both institutions are on the South side of the River Lee. Building student residences on the North side will only increase traffic congestion at Thomas Davis Bridge and North Gate Bridge. This of course is after the traffic congestion on Sunday's Well Road and Strawberry Hill has eased after TEN YEARS of construction traffic required in the proposal! What does the Cork City Chamber of Commerce think about this prospect?

The Good Shepherd Convent site is situated in the middle of a network of streets with narrow 'pinch points' and steep gradients, so cycling and pedestrian access is difficult.

Here's an old map which highlights the pinch points around the Convent Avenue entrace to the site

Furthermore, the site lies in between two major routes in and out of the city from the West: Blarney Street and Sunday's Well Road. These routes are already difficult to go through. Adding more vehicles to the area will have an effect on commuting traffic to and from Cork city at a time when commuting time is already considered to be problematic.

Everybody (including Cork City Council Planning Office) agrees with the above points!

The points that follow have been raised at several meetings of concerned residents. They are a direct consequence of doubling the population size of an area with poor connections and infrastructure.

1. The character of the area will be changed, visually by the un-traditional designs and materials so far proposed which don't go with with the existing buildings on the site and the surrounding neighbourhood.
2. There will be substantial overlooking and invasion of privacy for residents on adjoining properties on three of the site boundaries. This has security implications for the entire area.
3. The estate wall surrounding the site risks being destabilised.
4. The provision of basic services (water, gas, electricity) to the area will be severely stressed. Drainage (already stressed at wet weather conditions) will be drasyically affected.
5. The proposal is extremely unrealistic about the state of the surrounding roads. There will be a negative impact on through traffic to and from the city leading to increases in pedestrian and vehicle accidents and a decline in city centre business. Businesses in the city centre are already complaining about the difficult drive to work for many of their employees.
6. Parking spaces for local residents, who need cars for health, schooling, and shopping, will become more scarce, leading to hardship.
7. There will be a risk of flooding and subsidence to properties on the south side of the development and to the Sundays Well Road itself from disturbance to underground aquifers which have been recognised as problematic by an Uisce in recent reports. The heavy weight of the new buildings will increase flow in the underground aquifers which will lead to the destruction by erosion of Sunday's Well Road, a vital thoroughfare for the centre of the city.
8. Access to the site and surrounding areas by emergency services will significantly worsen leading to risk of deaths and substantial damage to property in the area by fire.
9. The volume of traffic and works access during the ambitious construction phases required requires a severe disturbance to parking facilities in Convent Avenue as very clearly stated in the proposal! What the proposal does not consider is the numerous pinch points that contruction traffic will have to navigate before entering Convent Avenue (see the map above.) It is not clear that heavy construction traffic will be able to get as far as Convent Avenue. Delivery by helicopter may be the only recourse.

Moral and legacy problems

The proposal does nothing to allay the fears that a lot of the history of this area will simply be erased. See the excellent analysis at the Preserving Magdalene History web site.

• There is a strong possibility that graves and burial places still exist which have not been discovered by the cursory examinations made so far. See the 1911 census data for the Convent (in the 'public documents' section of our site). Recent studies suggest that there are many unmarked areas in which children have been buried. It is a moral outrage that these poor souls are not remembered.
• There is an ongoing interest from some people - believers and others - in access to the Little Nellie's grave site. Locals report regular visitors trying to gain access to the site. Many are from outside of Cork who have some historical connection to the site or just a religious connection to the professed belief in the curative powers of Little Nellie particularly in childrens' illnesses.

There are comparable sites which have been sensitively developed in other areas of the City and which did not lead to massive new builds. 'Do nothing' is not the only alternative to the proposals aired so far. See the comments about alternative uses at the bottom of the Alternative Proposals page of this site.