Restoring weir will bring valuable habitat to Cork public park

Mags McKenna, a member of the Weir Restoration Committee, at Ballincollig Regional Park weir. The group wants the weir repaired urgently to restore the amenity value of the park. Picture: Denis Minihane

A campaign has been launched to secure the full repair of a historic weir on the River Lee which locals say will restore valuable habitat in one of Cork's largest public parks.

The Weir Restoration Committee, a grassroots community group founded in Ballincollig in Cork, has also secured a commitment from city councillors to push for interim safety works around the damaged weir in the town’s hugely popular regional park, pending a decision on large-scale repairs.

“Since its collapse in 2014, the weir has been left to rot and ruin, and now a large portion of the weir has fallen away, creating deadly currents on a stretch of the river which is very popular with families, swimmers and fishers. It is dangerous and this needs to be addressed,” a committee spokesperson said.

It comes almost five months since the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works (OPW), Patrick O’Donovan, viewed the weir and said he would ask his officials to consider whether repairs could be done in association with the proposed €150m Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme (LLFRS).

In a statement, the OPW said while the park and the weir are the responsibility of Cork City Council, and while there are no hydraulic benefits to the LLFRS scheme from the weir, the OPW has asked its consultants working on the flood relief scheme to examine the weir repairs and cost the project.

“This assessment is currently being progressed, and is likely to be reported back to the OPW and the LLFRS steering group before the end of this year," a spokesperson said.

“If the remedial works are deemed feasible, Cork City Council will seek planning for the works and, if approved, the works will be included as part of the LLFRS scheme’s construction contract.” 

The LLFRS is currently at detailed design stage and it is expected that it will be submitted to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for statutory confirmation under the Arterial Drainage Acts towards the middle of next year.

Meanwhile, members of the Weir Restoration Committee met city councillors to discuss the short-term safety works, and to discuss how the weir repairs could restore water supply to the park’s canals and millraces and have a massive ecological benefit.

The weir was built in 1795 to provide a constant stream of water to the canals and mill races associated with the adjoining Royal Gunpowder Mills complex which closed in the early 1900s.

Over the last century, this once industrial area transformed into wetlands and a vibrant forested ecosystem.

The weir became intrinsically linked to the park's ecosystem when a section collapsed in December 2014, the canal system and millraces dried up, affecting the park’s flora and fauna.

The Weir Restoration Committee said it wants to see the full restoration of the weir and by extension the sluice gate, canal systems and mill races.

“This will most importantly make the weir area of the river safe again but will also save a part of Ballincollig’s identity and history. The ecological impact has been devastating and hopefully not beyond salvation if the water is returned to what was once the wetlands," the spokesperson said.

The weir has been in the jurisdiction of Cork City Council since the 2019 city boundary extension.

The damage has worsened over the years and the delay in repairs has seen cost estimates for the works soar from around €250,000 five years ago to over €1m.