The Fenn's Quay restoration project in Cork is a perfect example of what can be done when planners take a view in favour of heritage and see it through to a conclusion. Where there was decay there has been rebirth - and much vision and foresight.
When developers Michael Cunningham and Barry Supple decided to invest in this old terrace in the Chancery area of Cork on the west side of the city, they were, says the latter, investing in "rubble" and, looking at before-and-after pictures of the area, it's clear what he means.
The ownership of Fenn's Quay can be traced, according to Cork Corporation, from Joseph Pike, a member of a prominent Quaker family in the city in the early 1700s, to the present-day owners.
Archival material, including wills, leases, registry of deeds and other documents were clear on that part of the terrace's history, though it was difficult to determine when - and by whom - the houses were built.
"Some maps of Cork from the 18th century show plots of land on Fenn's Quay including Carty's map of 1726 and Rockque's map of 1750. At first this row of ses on Fenn's Quay was in residential use but in the 19th century, the ground floors were converted into shops," according to a history of the area produced by the corporation - though today you'd wonder why it's called Fenn's Quay. When it was developed, water flowed by as part of the River Lee channels.
In those days, number five was not a restaurant as it is today but more likely the salon of a thriving merchant.
The preserved terrace reflects an effort on the conservation front which involved a partnership - perhaps a unique one - including builders who saw the wider picture and willingly engaged in a heritage concept that brought on board experts from the corporation.
If an original application by a different group of commercial developers had been granted, the restoration of the quay would never have happened. The corporation said no and won a crucial planning appeal.
The main developers in the scheme, Barry Supple and Michael Cunningham, have played no small part in giving back to Cork city an important part of its heritage. As they passed by over the years, on foot or in cars, Cork people would have noticed only the dereliction on the quay - better known to most Corkonians as Sheare's Street.
Barry Supple and Michael Cunningham got interested in the properties at the same time. It wasn't initially easy to persuade the banks that this was a good investment: it took from 1993 to 1997 to bring the project to maturity. Once the development was in progress the handful of workers on site was often outnumbered by enthusiastic experts who wanted to ensure that Fenn's Quay was restored using traditional building methods.
The developers and the planners saw from an early stage that something unique could be created if they went about it in a special way. The project cost £750,000 to develop. EU heritage grants and help from the Heritage Council as well as tax breaks made it possible for the developers to take time and care on what otherwise would have been a loss-making exercise.
To restore the facade of the terrace the country was scoured for bricks that would match the original, but first the front walls, which were about to collapse, were taken down and rebuilt.
Inside there were more problems. The original panelling had to be brought back to life using special joinery skills. Modern methods of plastering would not have been appropriate so old skills were revived. Vertical slate hanging, once very much part of the Cork building tradition but now almost extinct, was used on the rear of the buildings.
"It was a learning curve for everyone," says the architect, Jack Coughlan.
Now the ground floors of the terrace are bustling again. There are two antiques shops, Fenn's Quay Antiques run by Mary and Michael Watson, and O'Regan Antiques run by David O'Regan, well known for his other antiques shops and auction rooms in the city. Nearby, Fenn's Hair Design salon is run by Linda O'Leary. Number five is a 45-seater bistro usually thronged with solicitors and barristers, given Fenn's Quay's proximity to the Courthouse. Proprietor Eilish O'Leary and chef Brenda Harrington are adept at spotting the lawyers as they fly in their formal gear to grab a bite between briefs.
The new residential units on the terrace are also occupied. The old panelling has been caringly refurbished and the old floor timbers are like new again. One side-effect is that skills lost and found again for this project will not be forgotten.
The developers are also more than happy that a terrace which could have died has increased in value by at least a third. Planners elsewhere might look at the Fenn's Quay project as good planning in action: a case where Cork Corporation got it right. A heritage terrace doesn't have to be restored as a sterile monument to the past. With its lively up market commercial life, Fenn's Quay sends out a message that the old need not be destroyed in the rush to include the new.