Residents of Little Island angry over industrial zone plans

People living in one of the country’s industrial powerhouse areas have said they won’t tolerate having even more of it zoned for industrial purposes.

A meeting held in Little Island, Co Cork last Wednesday, which was attended by around 100 residents, heard that Cork County Council planners want to set aside a total of 350 acres for further industrial/commercial development in the area.

The meeting was chaired by local county councillor Padraig O’Sullivan who wanted to talk locals through the Little Island Local Area Plan, which is a blueprint for future growth in the area.

Two green areas totalling 150 acres — one of which is the former Harbour Point Golf Club — are being proposed to be zoned for industrial purposes.

There is already 250 acres as yet unused but zoned for industrial use in the area and a further 100 acres of unused brownfield sites in Little Island that can be redeveloped.

At the same time the county council is only setting aside enough designated land in Little Island to build 90 houses.

“Once presented with these figures there was understandable outrage amongst those attending the meeting,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

The anger is also being fuelled by residents’ perception that the council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) are doing little to alleviate traffic gridlock in the area, especially at peak times when up to 10,000 workers commute in and out of Little island.

Proposals to create a third entrance to Little Island, on the eastern Cobh Cross side have not been taken on board by planners as a measure to alleviate daily traffic gridlock.

Locals also commented on how the road infrastructure has remained more or less unchanged since the 1960s, despite all the development which has since taken place.

“We are now in a situation where traffic funnels through a very narrow crossroad every day at Little Island Cross with no hope for a remedy given that the existing roadway cannot be widened without land acquisition,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

Little Island Business Association (LIBA) chairman Michael Mulcahy said a master plan should be developed for the whole area.

Mr Mulcahy, whose organisation represents nearly 1,000 businesses, said residents and businesses need to work together with the local authority to ensure the area has all the services and facilities it needs into the future.

Residents can make submissions to the council plan up until January 16.