Key West Cork coastal projects stalled due to funding 'pittance'

Councillor 'disgusted' by the lack of investment from Government into coastal developments along the West Cork coast

Proposed marina development in Glengarriff would 'take up one quarter of the funding by itself' under current allocations, councillors told. File picture: Andy Gibson

Funding allocated to Cork County Council for coastal and marine works has been described as “a pittance” at a meeting of the council’s Western Division.

Councillors have called for a significant increase in central Government support for West Cork projects.

Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins said the current level of funding was “totally inadequate” and warned key developments were stalled due to budget constraints.

He pointed to the proposed marina development in Glengarriff, saying it would “take up one quarter of the funding by itself” under current allocations. He added that the Western Division, which includes one of the longest coastlines in the country, was not receiving a fair share of investment.

Mr Collins called on Cork County Council to write to marine minister seeking an urgent increase in funding.

Social Democrats councillor Ann Banbury said that “on the ground, the scarcity of funding is alarming”.

She said while there were “a lot of announcements”, little was materialising in practice. She said she was “disgusted” by the lack of investment in West Cork coastal infrastructure.

Independent Ireland councillor Daniel Sexton said: “Unfortunately, we are not getting the money from the top down.” 

He said was “a lot more we could be doing if we had more funding” and supported writing to the Department of Marine.

The concerns were raised following a report presented to councillors that outlined the status of a wide range of coastal and marine projects across West Cork. 

The report detailed ongoing works and funding applications including coastal protection schemes at Glandore, Long Strand, Rosscarbery, and Sherkin Island, as well as proposed new pontoons and pier upgrades, including Glengarriff, Schull, and Baltimore.

Among the major initiatives outlined was the Cork Coastal Vulnerability Study, developed in partnership with University College Cork, which aims to show map erosion risk, model future coastline change up to 2050, and support long-term planning for coastal protection.

Councillors were told many schemes remain at feasibility or funding application stage, with some projects delayed due to landowner agreements, environmental assessments, or lack of allocated funding.

Mr Collins said the scale of need across the Western Division required a reassessment of national funding priorities. He said: “We should be looking for the funding allocation to be at least doubled.” 

This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme