West Cork roadworks during tourist season 'endangering livelihoods'
David Wine, co-proprietor of Hayes' Bar, Glandore, Co Cork, looking at a notice about road resurfacing in the area. Picture: Denis Minihane.
A West Cork restaurant owner has said he may have to close his business due to the “outrageous” decision of Cork County Council to close a main road for resurfacing during the busy season.
David Wine runs Hayes’ Bar in Glandore and said he earns enough during the summer months to last the entire year, with three other businesses in the village in the same boat. The main road to the village which brings thousands of tourists in the summer months is currently closed and being resurfaced.
Mr Wine said there was no prior engagement with locals on the decision which is “endangering livelihoods” that depend on tourism. He said the hospitality sector is already “on its knees” due to soaring inflation and a lack of available accommodation.
Hayes’ bar which employs about 15 people would usually provide up to 400 meals a day during the summer months, however, the lack of nearby accommodation has already cut the season short by almost three months, he said, adding that it costs €4,000 per week just to open.
“Then you suddenly find out the council is going to block off the road in the height of the tourist season, it is absolutely outrageous, they never informed anyone ,” he said before describing it as “an abuse of power”.
“If we don’t take our money in June, July and August we might have to close the business and there’s another pub, The Glandore Inn, which is the same,” he said.
Mr Wine also voiced health and safety concerns due to the closure, saying the village which has a predominantly older population is thronged with children learning to sail during the summer months.
He said it’s difficult to get an ambulance to the village “at the best of times” with other narrow roads into the village easily becoming blocked by just one van.
A council spokesperson said notice signs for the works were placed on the road in advance while all traffic travelling to and from Glandore is facilitated under the traffic management plan.
“The main resurfacing elements of these works were completed in two phases. Phase 1 was completed earlier in May and Phase 2 was completed last week,” they said.
However, they added that a final treatment of the resurfacing can only be completed in the summer months as it is weather and temperature dependent.
“These works are presently ongoing and scheduled to be completed this week which will complete the works on the R597 for this summer season,” they said.
“As the works are weather and temperature dependent, the works on the whole are being completed in May and early June ahead of the main summer tourist season commencing.”
However, Mr Wine said the works in May alone had an impact on earnings describing the village as a “ghost town” since the works began, saying that tourists are being put off by “the hassle”.
“There’s no way in a million years that’s going to be completed on time, have you heard of a council resurfacing a road in three days?” he said, adding that there was no team working on the road on Wednesday while similar works have begun near Leap, arguing that two teams should have been working in tandem, “if they had any urgency”.
Mr Wine said millions have been spent on promoting the Wild Atlantic Way with decisions such as this “endangering livelihoods”. He refuted the reasoning for weather and temperature needs, saying: “We don’t live in Antarctica”.
Separately, Mr Wine said the village road is “in bits” and fears a last-minute decision to carry out works on that also, resulting in “chaos in the village”.
“The stress is killing me with the dread I wake up to diggers and heavy machinery outside our doors making it impossible for anyone to trade,” he said.
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