While the residents of Shannonvale, Clonakilty, are still deprived of a public recreation area, due to the environmental and health disaster that is the West Cork Sewage Flood, there have been some glimmers of hope for the community of late.
As reported recently in the Southern Star, Shannonvale locals have been growing increasingly frustrated and vocal about the constant delays and excuses coming from Irish Water and Cork County Council with regard to resolving this scandal.
However, it does appear that some progress has been made, with the recently published Cork County Development Plan for 2022-2028 mentioning specific objectives for the village. The plan, while not specifically addressing the sewage issue, clearly states objectives including:
Support the provision of a Children’s Community Playground.
Cork County Development Plan: https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/cork-county-development-plan-2022-2028 (Quoted on: 27 April 2021)
Protect the existing river and provide open space and recreational facilities.
as well as the unexpected, but very welcome inclusion:
Proposed brownfield development (preservation of the Old Mill – tourism, shop, and community use).
Cork County Development Plan: https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/cork-county-development-plan-2022-2028 (Quoted on: 27 April 2021)
Both the development of recreational facilities, and the preservation of Shannonvale Mill are matters which locals have long called for, and there is hope that these proposals are more than mere pipe dreams.
Village resident and campaigner Barry O’Mahony, via social media, urged the community to not become complacent in the light of this positive development, and to continue in their efforts to draw attention to these issues.
Delighted to see that we are finally starting to be heard in County Hall. The publication of the County Development Plan sees Cork County Council publicly and officially acknowledge the need for recreational space in our village, and also recognises the historical and architectural significance of the old mill which gives our village its name.
Barry O’Mahony, via Facebook (Quoted on: 28 April 2021)
This is a very positive move by the Council, and proof that when a community speaks up, things can change.
However, I would urge all of my neighbours to continue to raise these issues with elected representatives, and to press even harder now. Because of the pandemic, in the next 12-18 months we will facing into another recession and period of government cuts. Let’s not allow Shannonvale to once again be sacrificed on the altar of austerity. In this community we need more voices speaking up, to see to it that the objectives in this plan are actually implemented, and not scrapped to save a few quid. When the crunch comes, we will once again be told “we’re all in this together”, and informed of how we must “tighten our belts”. Projects crucial to small communities like ours will, if we stay silent, be the first on the chopping block, while high-profile tourist hotspots and political vanity projects will still go ahead.
We also need to make sure that we are not, as has happened in the past, led down the garden path by officials. Per Objective DB-01 in this plan, the Council is prioritising the development of up to 15 additional dwellings. This, in itself, is not an issue. It makes perfect sense when viewed in context of planning strategy. The issue is that we may find ourselves once again in a situation where public amenities are promised (park, community centre, etc.) as part of a plan which includes increased housing, but end up with the housing built and no budget left for amenities. This time around, we must insist that the order of priorities is Amenities First, population increase after.
Speak up, Shannonvale. We’ve got an opportunity to do great things here, so let’s not waste it.
The County Development Plan can be viewed at https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/cork-county-development-plan-2022-2028