John Hegarty is the director of Fourem Architects who specialise in urban design and the conservation of historic structures and spaces. Through his work he has developed a deep love for the historic architecture of Cork city and this drove John to represent a campaign to oppose the council and OPW planned flood walls along the quays in Cork.
The campaign argues that these flood walls would drastically change the feel and look of Cork as a heritage port city and greatly diminish the view and connection the island of Cork has with its River Lee. The campaign is called Save Cork City and you will notice the Love the Lee slogan displayed at businesses around the city who support the cause. Save Cork City have been opposing the planned walls for over 5 years now and they propose that building a tidal barrier at Little Island or Tivoli would be a far more economically viable option, cause no interruption to the city centre but also save the original 18 century quay walls.
We get into the nitty gritty of the issues surrounding Cork city as a marsh and the city's flood defence, but we also talk about dereliction/vacancy, the housing emergency, the Sextant pub and much much more... Enjoy!
