Ballycotton sewage system held up by planning row with local fishermen
Ballycotton Pier. The Ballycotton Fishermen’s Association say the location of a proposed new pumping station and holding tank on the site of existing public toilets on the pier posed a huge risk of pollution of the inner harbour.
The development of a new sewage system for the east Cork village of Ballycotton has been delayed by a row over the location of a new pumping station on the pier which local fishermen claim poses a risk of pollution.
The Ballycotton Fishermen’s Association has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against last month’s decision by Cork County Council to grant planning permission for the proposed new sewage scheme for the area planned by Irish Water.
The BFA said it was very much in favour of the proposed development, which it claimed was long overdue, as it would be a great asset for Ballycotton when completed.
However, the group claims a proposed new pumping station and holding tank should be located on the southern side of the existing pier together with much-needed additional car park spaces by reclaiming land from the foreshore.
It said such a measure would also greatly ease traffic congestion around the pier area, which was a particular problem during the summer months.
BFA chair, John Tattan, said the current plans to locate the pumping station and holding tank on the site of existing public toilets on the pier posed a huge risk of pollution of the inner harbour at Ballycotton where live lobster and crab are held in cages to be delivered live to the point of sale.
“Any one malfunction or even the construction work has the obvious potential to wipe out this type of fishing at Ballycotton,” Mr Tattan said.
The BFA argued that it was “a very reasonable suggestion” to move the pumping station and holding tank to the other side of the existing pier. The group said any development must not include any structure that would impede the long-term development of the harbour in Ballycotton.
The fishermen said their alternative location would allow the pier to remain open at all times during any construction phase, unlike the current proposal. They claim the location for the holding tank preferred by Irish Water would take up valuable space in a situation where the inner harbour was already very congested.
The group has also received support from local Fine Gael TD, David Stanton, over concerns that any contamination from work on the pumping station could have “a detrimental effect on businesses.” Irish Water claims the project is needed to stop untreated wastewater being discharged directly into Ballycotton Bay.
“The new wastewater treatment plant will bring benefits to Ballycotton in terms of health, integrity of the environment and improved water quality for all,” the company said. It claims the new facility will stop the discharge of the equivalent of 860 wheelie bins of raw sewage being discharged into Ballycotton Bay every day.
The project involves the construction of a new pumping station on the pier at Ballycotton which will transfer sewage to a second new pumping station on Cow Lane and onward to a new treatment plant on a site to the south-west of Main Street in Ballycotton which will cater for a population of almost 1,100.
According to Irish Water, a 450-metre-long outfall pipeline will safely discharge treated wastewater from the plant into the sea. A ruling in the case by An Bord Pleanála is due before the end of April 2022.
The principal of Scoil Réalt na Mara national school in Ballycotton, Eilís Sultana, has called on Irish Water to consider an alternative location for the main treatment plant because the current proposed site is only 110 metres from the school.
Ms Sultana said the school had concerns the development could lead to odour and noise nuisance issues when the plant becomes operational.
