Carrigaline district seeks control over Haulbowline  People's Park

Councillors representing Carrigaline are seeking to have the recently-opened so-called 'People's Park' on Haulbowline Island ceded to their control, rather than have it in the hands of Cobh. Picture: David Jones Naval Service Photographer

It's been described as “nonsensical” that a municipal district council, which controls access to what is likely to become the most popular park in Co Cork, is not the one actually in charge of it.

Instead, its charge is in the hands of another district council on the other side of the harbour.

Councillors representing Carrigaline are seeking to have the recently-opened so-called 'People's Park' on Haulbowline Island ceded to their control, rather than have it in the hands of Cobh.

Cobh is on the other side of the harbour and 36km drive away – much of which is through the Carrigaline area.

Control of the island by the Cobh municipal district and its predecessors dates back to British times and continues to be upheld by the Irish Electoral Boundary Commission – even though Carrigaline municipal district councillors say it makes absolutely no sense today.

Fine Gael councillor Liam O’Connor raised the issue at a recent Carrigaline Municipal District Council meeting. He requested that the Haulbowline Island land owned by the council be transferred to the Carrigaline municipal district from the Cobh municipal district.

Nicola Radley, his municipal district's most senior official, pointed out that currently the only way the jurisdiction could be changed was when the boundary commission next undertakes a revaluation of all areas of the country, and this won't be until 2023.

Independent councillor Marcia D'Alton described the Cobh district as controlling the Haulbowline park as “nonsensical” as the only road leading into it was in her municipal area's control.

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Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath agreed. “It would be interesting to do a headcount of visitors from Cobh to the park, I can't see them coming here, unless they have a boat,” he said.

Mr McGrath also criticised the decision by the Cobh municipal district not to put enough litter bins in the park and the fact that the public toilets there remain closed.

He added that the Carrigaline councillors “are getting it in the neck” because of this and it wasn't their fault.

Fianna Fáil councillor Audrey Buckley agreed with what he said, as did independent councillor Ben Dalton-O'Sullivan.

Council engineers said there was a lot of cooperation between the two municipal districts over opening the park in the first place, but there was no service level agreement between them since.

They pointed out that the contractor who was employed to open the public toilets “was shut down” through no fault of his own because of Covid-19 restrictions and the toilets won't be open until he's able to get back to work.

Mr O'Connor said it might be less cumbersome if both council's signed a 'memorandum of understanding' on a service level agreement which basically saw the Carrigaline district taking over operations at the park.

Ms Radley said she'd convey this request to a more senior official in County Hall to see if an agreement could be reached.