CORK County Council is being urged to improve parking facilities at Garrylucas Beach, amid claims that the traffic congestion makes emergency vehicle access very difficult in the summer.

Kevin Kennedy of Garrettstown and Garrylucas Development Group highlighted the number of campervans as a safety concern during a presentation to councillors at a meeting of Bandon/Kinsale Municipal District last week.

“They seem to have a carte blanche on where they can park up,” he said, adding that the current arrangement is effectively a one-way system with congestion on both ends. “We’ve allowed it to become an emergency nightmare.”

Mr Kennedy said the popular beach had no safe pedestrian crossing and has had issues with campervans parking parallel to the beachfront and cluttering the footpath for years. He proposed a “carrot and stick approach” with an initial design-led process to encourage parking in desired areas followed by the implementation of bye-laws to enforce the changes.

The design called for the man-made sandbank to be pushed 20 metres back to the beginning of the marshland, creating 90 additional parking spaces perpendicular to the road. Parking would be discouraged in other areas with a system of lines and road markings to maintain access for emergency vehicles, explained Mr Kennedy. “We can’t have the emergency situation we have at  the moment.”

He suggested campers should be treated as a stakeholder in the development, with the plans offering 15 dedicated campervan bays and waste facilities, neither of which are currently available in the area. Waterford Council’s work at Cois Trá in Dungarvan was highlighted as an example of a similar development executed well.

Councillors widely supported the proposal, praising its thoroughness and the local knowledge it displayed. Cllr Ann Bambury (SD) acknowledged that having met the group and visited the beach with her children often, the issue of emergency vehicle access was “really, really legitimate”. Cllr Marie O’Sullivan (FG) added her praise saying that having lived there for 10 years she was well aware of the issue and had raised it previously.

Cllr John Collins (Ind Ire) said that while the plan may need some tweaks after the engineers take a look, he “can’t see any reason why we as councillors can’t follow up on it”. Cllr John Michael Foley (FG) agreed that the number of visitors can be a problem, suggesting that “Garrylucas is a victim of its own success at times”. He added that the proposal was “a sensible solution to an ongoing  problem”.

Mr Kennedy also asked if the council’s biodiversity officer could be included in the planning of any works because the group wanted to ensure the adjacent marshland was responsibly managed and maximised throughout the process.

Cllr Alan Coleman (Ind) welcomed the proposal’s “holistic” approach, adding that “the marsh is something that has great potential”. Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) said the area’s “cup is overflowing with natural resources” and thanked the group for their thoughtful approach. She supported the proposal and suggested that the council’s engineers should cost the project.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.