Fears for ‘forgotten’ Oliver Plunkett Street in Bandon

A BUSINESS owner in Bandon has described the lower part of Oliver Plunkett Street as the ‘forgotten’ part of the town which is in urgent need of ‘some TLC’.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Don O’Sullivan of the Munster Arms Hotel said this has been going on for years and no one seems to be able to get to grips with the issue and sort it out.

In December 2018, a vacant residential building at No 2 Oliver Plunkett Street collapsed, resulting in the street being closed for several months. It wasn’t until the following March that Cork County Council was granted a court order to demolish No2 and No3 on the street, leaving that section of the street closed for several months, causing inconvenience to locals and motorists.

Since then, the site has been left undeveloped. One business still operates along the same section of the street, which is tail-ended on either side by two now-closed bars.

‘We are concerned that if another building falls down then the street could be closed for months on end, just like before and we can’t afford that,’ said Don.

‘Anything is better than what is there now and there a few of the building sup for sale and then you have the gap where the two buildings were demolished. Is it going to stay like this forever?'

Don feels that the street is the ‘forgotten’ part of Bandon and while he is delighted that a rejuvenation project is taking place on other side of the town, he feels this street needs a little bit of ‘TLC’, being the older part of the town.

‘The sewer was also never done on the street because they said if they did do it, the buildings would definitely have collapsed. A decision has to come from somewhere about what to do about the street, which also has huge potholes.’

Don also is worried about a possible scenario where the street is closed due to a building collapse at the same time South Main Street will be closed for the rejuvenation project.

‘What will happen then? It will be traffic chaos and the town will be decimated,’ added Don.

The issue was also raised at a meeting of Bandon Kinsale Municipal District by Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) who said that it seems that the propped-up structures where the buildings were demolished are now under pressure.

A statement from Cork County Council to the Southern Star confirmed that derelict site notices were erected on properties on this street in 2023. ‘The statutory process was progressed, and they are now on the derelict sites register and subject to a levy.’