‘Big, big trouble’ facing Cork coastal areas if erosion is not urgently checked
CorkmanCork councillors have expressed concerns about serious coastal erosion around the county as the local authority says a study aimed at identifying the most vulnerable parts of the coast in the coming decades is nearly ready.
Speaking at this month’s meeting of Cork County Council’s Southern Committee, County Engineer Brendan Meagher said that the Cork Coastal Vulnerability Study being carried out by the council in partnership with University College Cork to examine the vulnerability of the Cork coastline to erosion is nearing completion.
Mr Meagher said the social coastal vulnerability index (SCVI) and a study of “the detailed erosion rates and shoreline change” are now complete.
“So, by March, we should have the whole of the SCVI. The second part of that then is the fieldwork. So, this is where the positioning of the coast will be by 2050. This model, we hope, will identify the areas that are going to erode significantly by 2050, which will allow us to then assess or cost any future works on the coastlines.”
Councillors welcomed the news and said they hope the study will help to win funding to combat coastal erosion.
The Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan-Foley, said her hometown of Youghal and the East Cork area generally has been “suffering with erosion with a long number of years.” The groynes on Youghal’s Front Strand are failing, she said, causing sand to be swept off the beach.
“There was a massive difference when there were groynes there. The ones that are there now are obsolete, they’re antique and they're actually a danger to people that are swimming. We always had the quayside and the mall beach, which were town beaches, where there was a gap between the wall and the sand of 10 or 12 feet. Now the sand is up at the wall so it's coming in from the Front Strand area,” she said.
Cllr Linehan-Foley also raised the issue of the road at Moll Goggin’s Corner in Youghal. “About 15 years ago, the road just collapsed into the sea and was closed for up to two-and-a-half years. That was fixed but Moll Goggin’s is ready to go again. If it goes, the road and the footpath are going to go as well and that's on the main thoroughfare into the town centre of Youghal just beyond the lighthouse. And then we're in big, big trouble,” she said.
Cllr Michael Hegarty spoke about coastal erosion at Ballykinealy near Youghal, “which I'm very concerned about. If the coastline is breached there you could have a serious effect on Ballymacoda village. From Ballinwilling beach, Ballycrenane beach, all the way along towards Garryvoe, there is serious erosion there all the time.”
He said the only part of that section of East Cork’s coastline that seems to be protected is where caravan park owners have installed rock armour.
Cllr Hegarty said that “while I appreciate the OPW are the only funding stream that we have, the speed they work at is very, very frustrating. As the old saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine so it's a pity that they couldn't expedite things a little bit.”
Cllr Audrey Buckley said the Point Road in Crosshaven is another problem area. “It really needs to be done. Cars are parking on top. There's no idea that it's gone underneath. With us allowing large-scale houses, 7,500 square foot with swimming pools, to be built on that road. And trucks have undermined the road,” she said.
County Engineer Meagher acknowledged councillors’ concerns. “I can understand you all and the worries that are there. OPW are our main funding stream for this. The intention is that we will engage with them and talk about these studies, talk about funding with them and we'll come back to the development committee once we've done that. Hopefully this SCVI will concentrate on areas like you just mentioned,” he said.