Apartments plan for former Cork city pub approved

A FORMER pub on the northside of the city is set for a new lease of life following planning permission to transform it into apartments.

Last September, Conclusive Developments Ltd lodged a planning application with Cork City Council, seeking permission for alterations to The Bridge Inn at 88 Great William O’Brien St in Blackpool, which closed a number of years ago.

The plans proposed the demolition of the rear two-storey annex and single-storey public house extension and the construction of a new two-storey extension to the rear of the existing building, to develop six one-bedroom apartments.

The application further sought the change of use of the remaining ground-floor pub to residential to create one studio apartment.

Currently, there are two apartments at the location, with the plans bringing the total number of units to nine.

Cork City Council sought further information before making a decision on the application.

Among the points raised, the local authority said the proposed scheme is located within the Blackpool Architectural Conservation Area and the surviving timber shopfront on the ground floor of the Great William O’Brien St elevation is considered to be of “historic significance”, contributing to the special architectural character of the area.

It said the proposed arrangement of the window and door openings of the ground floor to the front elevation of the street should be “redesigned to allow for the retention of the historic shopfront”.

There are 20 conditions attached to the council’s approval of the development.