Hopes a walkway can be developed between Garryvoe and Ballycotton in East Cork 

Proposed route would cross Special Area of Conservation and any development would have to be 'very sensitive' to the local fauna and flora, councillors told

A sign on Ballynamona beach in East Cork which marks it out as a protected area. Picture: Dan Linehan

There are hopes a walkway, using floating pontoon bridges, can be developed between Garryvoe and Ballycotton, creating a further tourist attraction in these areas.

However, the linkage would have to be developed across marshland which is designated as an SAC (Special Area of Conservation), which will make such a development harder to achieve.

Fine Gael councillor Susan McCarthy raised the possibility of creating the walkway at a meeting of the East Cork Municipal District Council.

She asked officials to investigate the possibility of installing a small footbridge at Ballynamona beach facing north, allowing for access towards Garryvoe.

“This two-way access would not only increase the amenity value of both beaches, it could also alleviate the pressure on Garryvoe for parking during peak season. It may also be prudent, when applying for funding, to consider same for the stream to the south of the beach allowing users to gain access to the entire stretch as far as Ballycotton,” Ms McCarthy said.

She said such a development would open up a whole new amenity for leisure. “There’s huge potential, at very little cost,” she said.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty said floating pontoons were probably a better option and he had seen one in use at Barleycove in West Cork. He said these would be ideal on the marshy/seaside area between Garryvoe and Ballycotton.

“It would be a fantastic project,” Sinn Féin councillor Danielle Twomey said.

Paraig Lynch, the council’s senior executive officer for the region, pointed out the area was an SAC and he would refer the request for the development to the county council’s ecology department and seek its views on how it could be achieved.

'Sensitive' to flora and fauna

Mr Lynch said any development would have to be “very sensitive” to the local fauna and flora and if plans are drawn up the council would have to refer them to An Bord Pleanála for approval.

He said in his capacity as senior executive officer he is involved in a similar project planned for the Cobh Municipal District area.

Mr Lynch said if the ecologist says it is doable then consultants would probably have to be appointed to progress the Garryvoe-Ballycotton plan and this would have to be funded out of East Cork Municipal District Council resources.

Ms McCarthy acknowledged they would have to commission a report on feasibility of putting in footbridges/pontoons.

“I think it’s a very worthy project,” she added.

Mr Lynch said he would seek a report from the county ecologist on the proposal and once he has it he would come back to councillors for further discussions.

Meanwhile, Ms McCarthy asked officials if it was possible to include Garryvoe promenade for regular clearing of stones and debris, as happens with Front Strand, Youghal.

“The [Garryvoe] pathway is regularly obstructed, particularly after high tides and weather events, making it inaccessible to buggies, wheelchairs and reduced mobility users,” she said.

Mr Hegarty said in recent months the situation was "getting worse weekend after weekend" as stones and debris were washed up there.

“It’s a rocky beach and I’m not sure even if we pump all the resources we have into it we can deal with it,” Ms Twomey said.

Council officials said they had issues with resources but would try and address it the best they could, especially approaching the tourist season.