Green areas to be turned into parking bays as Cork neighbours battle for parking spaces
The shortage of spaces is being blamed on the fact that adult children can’t afford to move out of the ‘family nest’ due to the price of housing. Picture: Denis Minihane.
A Cork local authority is resorting to reclaiming green areas in council estates to create more parking spaces, and avert rows between former friendly neighbours.
The shortage of spaces is being blamed on the fact that adult children can’t afford to move out of the ‘family nest’ due to the price of housing — and in some cases four or five cars are clogging up driveways and estates.
In what’s believed to be one of the first efforts in the country to tackle the problem, Fermoy municipal district council has launched a pilot project to expand parking areas in some of its estates.
Municipal district council senior executive engineer Brendan O’Gorman confirmed that a pilot scheme will commence in the area in the winter, to create more parking spaces at county council-owned estates in Doneraile, Kilworth, and Bartlemy.
Fermoy-based Fine Gael councillor Noel McCarthy said as tensions over parking ‘rights’ increase, neighbour has been pitted against neighbour, and gardaí have been called to intervene in a number of disputes, which have on occasion threatened to end in violence.
He said he is aware of two housing estates in his home town where gardaí had been called to intervene in parking disputes between neigbours, and “in one estate on six occasions”.
He said it’s “a great pity” that many neighbours who’ve been friendly for years have fallen out and had bitter rows over parking. Mr McCarthy said:
Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O’Flynn asked that extra car parking spaces be created at Shinnick Place, Castletownroche, for the benefit of local residents there.
He pointed out that this is another case where adult children who have cars are still living at home, and such is the proliferation of vehicles, emergency services could find it almost impossible to get through.
Mr O’Flynn said many residents had to park their vehicles outside of the estate, which has two green areas, and suggested some sections of them could be turned into parking bays to ease the problem.
Mr O’Gorman said the council is planning another project next year to tackle parking issues in more places, and would look at including the Castletownroche estate on that programme.
