Calls for council to act following collapse of wall in Shandon 

RESIDENTS in the Shandon area have raised concerns over safety and insurance following the partial collapse of a wall last week.

Emergency services attended the scene and several homes were evacuated on Thursday night after the partial collapse of a wall at a residential property at Church Ave, just off Roman St, backing onto John St.

The wall, thought to be more than 200 years old, collapsed into the back gardens of nearby houses.

Some residents have told local representatives they don’t have insurance and Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould says Cork City Council needs to look into the issue.

“Several residents contacted their insurance companies and engineers were sent to assess the houses,” Mr Gould told The Echo.

“Some people have insurance and some don’t and residents have been asking me, would the council get involved?”

The newly elected TD has said he would like to see if the council could send experts out to assess the area and see if something could be done.

“Residents are back in their homes now but as I see it, the site is still a safety concern,” he said.

“It’s a particularly old part of Cork and subsidence is an issue due to the topography of the area.

“A lot of Cork’s northside is up quite a height. The drainage systems and sewage systems, in particular, are very old and need to be addressed.”

Mr Gould noted that the demographic of the area is largely elderly and said the council should endeavour to protect these vulnerable residents.

“Something should be done,” he said. “National funding may be able to be procured as this is a safety concern.”

He said while buildings in other parts of the city have been damaged after being allowed to fall into disrepair, people in the Shandon area see their homes as being at risk despite being perfectly well maintained.

“I visited one young family who are living in a house that belonged to a grandmother and they have completely renovated it,” he said. “People have lovely houses in that part of Cork but they need support.

“I want something to be done to ensure that the residents are safe long term.”

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said on Friday that the local authority has no role in the issue.

“The property is in private ownership, so the matter is a civil issue between the affected property owners,” they said.