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West Cork still counting the cost of last years storms

February 15th, 2015 10:11 AM

By Southern Star Team

A coast road on Sheep's Head took a battering during the storms of last year

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There's a lot done, but more to do, as the old saying goes. Jackie Keogh looks in detail at the remedial works carried out by Cork County Council since the storms of 2014 ravaged our coastline

TWENTY-one coastal improvement projects were carried out over the last 12 months to rectify the damage caused by the winter storms of 2014.

At a recent local authority meeting, county engineer David Keane went through an itemised list of all the projects that have been completed and he advised the members of the West Cork Municipal District that the remaining projects are likely to be finalised this year.

The largest spend was the sum of €501,036, which was spent on rehabilitating the sea wall throughout the Sheep’s Head Peninsula after it took a battering in the storms of January and February 2014.

Another sizeable project, the repair and refurbishment of the sea wall and pier in Glandore cost €203,000, whilst the fourth largest outlay – €144,000 in the case of Adrigole Pier Pontoon – could not proceed in 2014, but is likely, subject to funding being provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, to go ahead this year.

The county engineer also confirmed that €30,000 is to be spent this year on coastal repair works on Sherkin Island and that a €75,220 coastal project at Ballydonegan Beach in Beara is still underway.

The Pier Road in Rosscarbery recently benefited from improvement works costing €28,550, but the contract for the €20,000 contract for work at Red Strand in Ardfield has yet to be procured.

Mr Keane confirmed that tender documents for the work at the Keelbeg Pier Road have been drafted and will shortly be put out to tender and that with just €13,000 available in funding from the Office of Public Works, and a deficit of €65,000 to make up, the contract for Garretstown Beach will only go to tender when funding has been approved.

The sea wall at Pallas in Ardgroom, which cost €38,110, has been completed and work on a €10,000 project to repair the sea wall on Heir Island is still underway.

Works have been competed on the €59,000 project to replace the concrete deck on Letter Pier in Kilcrohane and €8,000 was spent on repairs to the damaged quay wall on Dursey Island.

Cleanderry Slip in Ardgroom got a €23,086 concrete deck and €36,700 was spent on the construction of a small slipway within the confines of the existing pier at Deelish in Skibbereen.

The sum of €40,000 was spent on manufacturing a buoy and replacing the existing buoy at Cush, off Long Island. Mr Keane confirmed that the buoy has already been handed over to the Commissioner of Irish Lights, who will arrange the transfer.

The sum of €10,000 has been setaside for a pier at Gorteen, a project that is subject to agreement; and €13,478 has been spent on repairing the concrete roadside wall at Travarra Pier. In addition to the works taking place in Cape Clear’s south harbour, €23,547 was spent on repairing damaged sea walls and €4,551 was spent on an aid to navigation at Courtmacsherry.

Summercove in Kinsale benefited from a €10,000 upgrade of the car park, and €19,508 was spent on the replacement of worn and damaged floats at Glengarriff Pier Pontoon.

Two projects that will be looked at again in 2015 include a consultant’s report on road and cliff issues at Point Road in Crosshaven and the supply of the pontoon in Adrigole.

The upgrading of Durrus Pier included new rails, mooring rings, improved lighting, signage and seating at a cost of €26,363 and the repair of a storm damaged pontoon in Baltimore cost of €9,844.

Almost €100,000 was also earmarked for the installation of a previously purchased pontoon and gangway in Baltimore, which Mr Keane said will be completed as soon as weather permits.

Works, meanwhile, have been completed in Barleycove in relation to the repair of a storm-damaged pontoon. The work cost €35,152 to complete. Similarly, the storm-damaged pontoon in Schull has been repaired at a cost of €9,187.

Each of the members of the West Cork Municipal District praised the Council’s engineering department and the Coastal Management Committee for having the projects ‘shovel ready.’

The fact that the planning practicalities and the paperwork were all in order meant that the application for funding was dealt with swiftly and, more importantly, the local authority was able to proceed with the work before the end of the fiscal year.

Furthermore, an ongoing investment saw €5m spent on Kinsale and Baltimore harbours, courtesy of a grant to Cork County Council from the Department of Transport.

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