Protect the historic centre of Cork City for a progressive liveable city and economy. Protect all of Cork for future prosperity. Save Cork and save our identity as a city. Save Cork City is a Registered Charity in Ireland 20205839. The 'Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme' proposes the widespread destruction of the quays of Cork City, leading to unprecedented loss of the historic setting and material qu
ality of the City of Cork. The works propose the removal of thousands of elements of antique fabric in the public realm of Cork leading to the loss of the 18th and 19th century city landscape including covering medieval quaysides in concrete and cladding all supported by a flawed approach to flood protection that cannot work due to unresolved groundwater issues. As all access to the Lee is further limited in the proposals, our diminishing relationship with the river may receive its final blow. Design consideration in the proposals is unrelated to the specific nature of Cork City leading to the dilution of the character of the city, the destruction of antiquity and the addition of ill considered works. Poor quality and brutal design is presented on a grand scale affecting the character of the City irreversibly. The brutality of the proposals would lead to severe cultural and economic losses, unprecedented loss to future amenity, loss to tourism potential and a greatly reduced potential for attracting vital capital investment to the City. Gentle, antique Cork is proposed to be replaced with a generic out of town aesthetic. The creation of a cold landscape, evoking a new brutality in our society and our city. In the proposals, the setting of Parliament Bridge is presented as irreversibly brutalised. It is one of the last remaining places where buildings meet the river’s edge in Cork. Proposals show the destruction of Sullivan’s Quay with demountable barriers, with little care for antique and irreplaceable archaeological fabric. The proposals present the elimination of variety and diversity; the elimination of authenticity and the evidence of the passage of time; the introduction of the pastiche; the destruction of antiquity and archaeology; the elimination of gentility. Authentic, antique fabric is replaced with unspecific design with general disregard to the specific nature and material and antique quality of Cork City damaging the future prospects of the city irreversibly. The World Bank has recognised the importance of conserving historic city centres for economic gain. Why haven’t we? What is even the basic restored value of the elements to be discarded in financial terms? If the brief was as the EU Floods directive, directs, to protect the city outside the centre this would be achieved. The current dams protect Cork and many more opportunities exist upstream to do so. We could build a simple tidal barrier at a narrow point downstream. A designer adept in addition to historic settings could consider sensitive interventions in the historic city core. We could pedestrianise the antique areas of the quays and exploit the potential of our ancient city. We could propose new wetlands and rediscover the use of flood plains for the sustainable management of water. Why are we proposing the building of a wall and the further channelling of water into a more confined space leaving our property under water levels and everything we own devalued by design? Flood walls are unsafe as they fail more easily. The proposals rely dangerously on pumps and chambers to keep us safe and we have never seen the impact of local defences on bridges or on many of our quays.
