CORK COUNTY COUNCIL is being urged to develop a strategy to encourage and facilitate ‘meanwhile use’ of vacant and derelict buildings across West Cork.
Cllr Isobel Towse (SD) raised the motion at last week’s meeting of the Western Division pointing out that meanwhile use is the temporary use of empty buildings for different purposes while they await longer-term development or occupancy.
She said a recent report by Anois described meanwhile use as a key policy instrument for prevention and eradicating problematic vacancy and dereliction. ‘Examples include pop up shops, street markets and exhibition spaces and I am appealing to the council to do everything within its power to facilitate and encourage meanwhile use in both public and private buildings where possible,’ said Cllr Towse.
She said the commercial vacancy rate in Cork county stands at 12.4%, which is much higher than the European average, and that this in turn is having a negative impact on a town’s economy and the health and wellbeing of communities.
‘Meanwhile, artists are crying out for spaces to create and put on cultural activities. Organisations and community groups need places to meet and micro businesses would benefit from affordable retails spaces. All of this would boost economic development, attract tourism and more importantly tackle problematic vacancy and dereliction.’
Cllr Towse specifically referred to the empty council-owned buildings on Kent Street in Clonakilty where she said Clonakilty Community Arts Centre (CCAC) – which needs to find a new home by the end of September – has requested to temporarily occupy the Old Fire Station and No 8 Kent Street under the meanwhile use concept.
‘The irony now is that the building now occupied by CCAC may lie vacant for a long time while being sold, while CCAC has no home and seeks meanwhile use of a public building to tide them over,’ she noted.
She added that short-term meanwhile use of council-owned property would satisfy CCAC’s immediate needs. ‘We must remember that the most sustainable building is an existing one.’
Her colleague Cllr Ann Bambury (SD) supported her motion and pointed out that in Bandon two high profile, council-owned buildings, the former TSB Bank and former library, still remain empty after many years.
‘These two buildings would be strong candidates for meanwhile use, and groups like Creative Bandon have great suggestions for the use of these buildings. We must normalise meanwhile use as a core regeneration tool,’ she said,
‘Vacancy and dereliction continue to pose serious challenges across rural Ireland including towns across West Cork. We do urgently need additional and flexible tools like meanwhile use to tackle vacant buildings more proactively.’
Divisional manager Michael Lynch said a newly-formed directorate of asset management and land development is conducting a strategic review of derelict and unoccupied buildings and meanwhile use would be considered under this remit.
