Yacht Club insists its members not ‘confused’ about pier plan

BY BRIAN MOORE AND EMMA CONNOLLY 

GLANDORE Harbour Yacht Club (GHYC) and Sailing School members insist their fears that they will have to close, if Council changes to the pier go ahead, are very real. 

Pier users are furious and say the Council’s plan means they’ll have 80% less boat storage on the pier. 

As reported in last week’s Southern Star, the changes are part of a management plan for Glandore harbour, which states that small crafts can only be stored in designated areas on the pier.

However, at a meeting this week, County Council chief executive Tim Lucey referred to ‘levels of confusion and misunderstanding concerning the proposed works in Union Hall and Glandore’. 

He said that the local municipal office would be following up on requests to meet with residents in both communities. 

But a statement from the operations committee of GHYC reasserted their fears and said: ‘Last Sunday, as young people gathered for the Spring Dinghy League at Glandore Pier, it was easy to envisage the practical implications of the proposed plans to curtail activity at the pier. 

‘The entire area proposed as storage is already full of kayaks, dinghies, punts, safety boats, a coastal rowing boat and some small motorboats, all owned by local people and clubs. This is before any visitors arrive in the area or the sailing school even opens for sailing courses. 

‘The proposal as circulated would mean that no young person attending a sailing course could bring a dinghy or take part. This is the simple reality and is just a function of square footage and lack of development.’

At the meeting of Cork County Council this week, Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) warned the local authority it was firmly ‘on the warpath’ with the residents of Union Hall and Glandore. He described the ‘hundreds of calls, texts and emails’ received following the planned works at the pier in Glandore, and the closure of the pier at Union Hall.

Cllr Paul Hayes (Ind) said the decisions had left the communities ‘livid’. ‘This has caused no small amount of tension in Union Hall and Glandore,’ he said.

‘The work needs to be carried out but the way this was handled leaves a lot to be desired. The Council needs to respond to this situation immediately,’ he said.

Cllr Declan Hurley said that a ‘battleground’ had been created between the communities and the Council and he called on the executive to meet with community members as soon as possible.