Community Funding Boost for the North Side

Community organisations across the North side of the City will receive a massive boost with the confirmation that a series of funding of over forty thousand euro will be granted. The funding, ranging from €350 to €6,000, was announced at a recent meeting of Cork City Council’s Community Development Committee.

  The funding approved by the committee and totalling €63,638 will go towards the upgrading and refurbishment of 14 community premises as well as a continuation of the summer play scheme. The funding follows a further €142,000 which was approved by the Development Committee last August. The approval of this funding has been welcomed all round. Speaking about the announcement leading North side Councillor Kenneth O’Flynn said ‘I am delighted that Cork City Council has continued to support this vital work with a further granting of funds. The work done by these voluntary organisations in helping the community cannot be underestimated and I am pleased that despite a significant reduction in the Councils budget we are still able to support these projects.’

The Fianna Fail Councillor particularly welcomed the Community Development grants for the Farranree Summer School and the surrounding the area. Councillor O’Flynn went on to say that ‘The works for the Farranree community centre will see a number of repairs to the both the inside and outside of the building. Furthermore over €6,000 will be allocated for the Farranree Summer Play Scheme. This is a great resource for parents and children and will run from the 3^rd to the 27^th of July.’

Councillor O’Flynn also had words of praise for improvements in areas such as Blarney Street and Shandon ‘The physical work that will be carried for groups such as the Blarney Street Community association will see the final phase of repair projects on gates, railings and play centres being completed but it is also important to mention that support for events such as the Shandon Street festival will give a huge boost to lifting the community spirit and local economy.’

Councillor O’Flynn thanked the community groups for their continued commitment to such worthy causes ‘It is always astounds me to see the commitment of the volunteers in the area and the community centres. There is always some activity for people to enjoy be it for senior citizens or the promotion of the summer camps for children and long may it continue.’

End Statement

‘Minster can release the burden of consumers with Card - Purchase Scheme’ O’Flynn

‘Minster can release the burden of consumers with Card - Purchase Scheme’ O’Flynn

Councillor Kenneth O’Flynn is calling on The Minister for Finance to give support to a new measure that he hopes will take the burden of rising expenses off the Irish consumer by giving them the chance to pay for items they purchase through an instalment purchase scheme with the use of a simple card. The Fianna Fail councillor stated ‘I am proposing that a new banking card should be made available to consumers that allows for products to be purchased and then paid for through a number of instalments over a period of three months with 0% interest.

Councillor O’Flynn added that this should be done in partnership with Irish banks that are under state ownership  ‘This is about asking the banks that the Irish taxpayer bailed out, and is picking up the tab for, to give something back to the struggling retailer and consumer.’

The North side councillor explained  ‘I believe this could go a long way in giving the hard pressed consumer an opportunity to make significant savings on their expenditure, while also giving retailers a chance to build a much needed customer base.’ Councillor O’Flynn outlined how ‘Recent CSO figures show an annual decrease of 2.7% in the volume of retail sales, with hardware, textiles, clothing and footwear being particularly effected’ 

Councillor O’Flynn says that this initiative is something tried and tested ‘This kind of option is available when paying for electricity, gas and other household costs, in fact various reed card systems have been tried in other countries and have proven very successful. Moreover I think it is time that something similar should be introduced along the lines of groceries and other products. 

  Councillor O’Flynn is asking the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan to consider this ‘I am calling on the Minister for Finance to look at this and seriously consider implementing an instalment purchase scheme as a means of giving the weekly shopper a lifeline. I will be writing to him personally to act on this and furthermore I will be calling on Cork City Council to support my proposal.’

The City Councillor who recently had three motions opposing government decisions passed by Cork City Council will be hoping for the same outcome.

Household Bulky Goods

Ballyvolane

A Chara,

Cork City Council has informed me that a special collection of household bulky goods will take place in the Ballyvolane area on Tuesday the 12^th of June between the hours of 8.00am and 3.00pm.

 All bulky goods are requested to be brought to the skip located opposite 3 Ashgrove lawn.

Each household should have received official notification by letter from Cork City Council. It is important that you bring this letter with you to ensure your items are accepted.

The full list of items that can and cannot be accepted are outlined below.

If I can be of any assistance to you or your family please do not hesitate to contact me.

Acceptable items	Materials not accepted
Bicycles	Cardboard or newsappers
Carpets/viny/rugs	Cast Iron Baths
Electrical/ White Goods	Construction & demolition  waste, hazardous waste, oil, paints or batteries
Furniture tables, chairs, beds mattresses	Domestic refuse
Large Toys or Sports equipment	Fireplaces, fencing or gates
Old Doors or presses (without glass)	Garden or green waste hazardous
Sanitary ware excluding (cast Iron baths)	Any materials appropriate or would fit into a wheel bin

 

Tackling Cork City Centre Office Vacancy

 Background
The occurrence of significant vacancy levels in commercial properties in the City Centre hassignificant negative consequences from an economic, community and visual perspective for the City

Council and indeed the City generally. There is currently over 300,000 sq ft of advertised vacantoffice space (above 1500 sq ft) in the City Centre. Added to this the ELUS 2011 shows that the rateof employment loss in the City has been most acute in the City Centre with the loss of 3,502 people and so targeted action needs to be prioritized in this area.
Attracting employment, economic activity and footfall to the City Centre would add to its vibrancyand attractiveness, in turn changing perceptions and helping with the broader objective of marketingand promotion of Cork.

This increased footfall would also drive spin off spending in the city centre’s
shops, entertainment and leisure facilities increasing demand for these services. It is important tonote that the multiplier effect into the local economy from job creation in the City Centre is more intense the closer you are to the core. Finally, the use of buildings removes the risk of dereliction nd visual degradation, and this is very much consistent with the Council’s marketing objectives for the City.

The introduction of a targeted project to tackle an aspect of City Centre vacancy would be inkeeping with the Council’s role as a development agency as well as promoting the interests of the community. The adoption of this pro-active initiative would demonstrate the City Council’s commitment to be a key driver in supporting and attracting economic activity and employment creation. The demonstration of democratic leadership in this manner is particularly important in thecurrent economic climate.

The Approach

The City’s character, both architectural and commercial, is largely derived from the older buildingson key streets in the City Centre, many of which are Protected Structures. On South Mall forexample there are 35 Protected Structures representing 42% of the entire building stock on the street. These buildings are therefore considered worthy of special attention and protection. As such their long term contribution from both a commercial and heritage perspective should be prioritised.While the issue of vacancy in the City Centre affects both newer and older buildings the impacts of vacancy on older heritage buildings is more significant as they need to be maintained and remain in use to ensure their survival and avert the unfortunate tide of dilapidation and ultimate dereliction.
Reversal of the problem of dereliction in heritage buildings is also more costly and challenging whichjustifies a more proactive response early on. As a result it is recommended that this pilot schemefocus on addressing the issue of commercial vacancy in key protected heritage buildings across the City Centre.

 In this way no one area or business sector is prioritised above another allowing for a
universal application of the scheme across this important building stock in the City Centre.

The Scheme

The scheme, as proposed, would comprise the following:

• A capital building improvement grant of up to €15,000 would be given to each qualifying

Protected Structure as part funding to encourage owners to invest in these important
buildings and make them more attractive to the market. Qualifying works would include theexternal fabric of the building but might also include the upgrade of telecommunications in the building, fire safety improvements, energy efficiency measures and other works deemed essential to assist in upgrading and future proofing the building. A fund of €45,000 has been allocated towards this project in the Conservation Budget for 2012. If deemed to be successful consideration will be given to continuing this scheme on an annual basis.


• If refurbishment takes place and the owner succeeds in renting the upgraded commercial space the City Council will apply a grant in lieu of rates waiver on a sliding scale over threeyears to further incentivise the owner and importantly provide an incentive to the end user.

o In year 1 a 50% grant in lieu of rates waiver would be applied
o In year two a 35% grant in lieu of rates waiver would be applied
o In year 3 a 15% grant in lieu of rates waiver would be applied
o From year 4 onwards full rates would apply

• If refurbishment is undertaken and it requires planning permission no development
contributions will apply as these buildings are not liable for the charge under the City
Council’s current Development Contribution Scheme.The committee are requested to recommend that An Chomhairle note the capital grant scheme for Protected Structures (which is provided for in the 2012 budget) and resolve to approve the grant inlieu of rates waiver incentive scheme as outlined above. The detail of the terms of qualifying worksetc will then be set out and the scheme will be advertised and rolled out.