With the recent leaking of a report by the Government-appointed Housing Commission, non-party Local Election candidate, Barry O’Mahony, says he is unsurprised by the findings. “The Commission blames the current housing crisis primarily on ‘ineffective decision making and reactive policy making’ and I couldn’t agree more” O’Mahony said. “The government parties have a longstanding habit of ignoring warnings until a …
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Active Travel – a phrase thrown around a lot in government policy in recent years – is essentially a catchy rebranding of the more colloquial phrase “getting up off your arse”. Walking and cycling are often promoted for being environmentally responsible, low-carbon modes of transport, and we are occasionally reminded of the health benefits that can be derived from these …
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It will come as no surprise to any of you, that traffic is an issue regularly raised at the doors of Clonakilty; with the town continuing to grow, the number of vehicles that pass through Clon is constantly on the rise. Unfortunately the road network in the town was never designed to handle this level of traffic. The recently-implemented one-way …
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It has been known, since at least as far back as 1998, to Cork County Council, and their successor organisations responsible for Water Services, Irish Water, and Uisce Éireann, that untreated sewage has been escaping from a failed sewage treatment system into a public park in the village of Shannonvale, Clonakilty, County Cork. This area, which serves as the village’s …
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In many parts of West Cork, where footpaths are present, we see a combination of old, crumbling surfaces, and new poorly executed designs, where materials have been used with no assessment of the amount of grip they provide, and insufficient or non-existent consideration for the effective shedding of rainwater. Between 2019 and 2022, Cork County Council paid out €5.6 million …
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I spoke to the Southern Star this week about concerns that the redevelopment of Rosscarbery Playground could be seriously hindered by excessive red tape. At the heart of the issue is a lack of official clarity on the ownership of the ground on which the playground sits. A convoluted system of licences and permits is required, involving not only Cork …
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The tourism and hospitality industry is of massive importance to West Cork, providing thousands of jobs, and bringing substantial revenue to the local economy. Lately we have seen a lot of press coverage on the topic of small cafés and restaurants going out of business due to the ever-rising cost of essential supplies and services. Sadly, for people working in …
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On Monday 22nd January 2024, Cork County Council will vote on a motion to support the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, by declaring itself an Apartheid-Free Zone. I would urge every person in West Cork to support this motion, by emailing the sitting councillors in your area, urging them to vote in favour of the motion. You can email …
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Before I had even knocked on my first door in Enniskeane, I witnessed sandbags stacked outside a number of homes. The flooding of a family home is always a devastating event, and the worry and anger that residents felt was clear when they spoke of their experiences. Nobody should have to live in fear of having their home flooded in …
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As we approach the 2024 Local Elections, I want to start sharing my vision for West Cork. I firmly believe that it’s time that we address the challenges posed by shortsighted planning regulations that have left Cork County Council constantly playing catch-up with the needs of our community. To be clear, this is not a critique of our council planners …
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