Marina pros/cons must be debated
THERE is confusion in the pretty village of Courtmacsherry, in west Cork, about a plan for a 196-boat marina put forward by a group of investors, some local, some not. There are those passionately for it and those vehemently against. I am neither. My house does not overview it; I have no personal axe to grind.
Having written two books and reams of articles about the beauty of the village and the bay, its social life and ecology, I am concerned that the proposed development should not half pluck the goose that laid the golden egg of such magnificence. But to what extent the goose — the beauty and character of this unique village — is to be plucked, if at all, I cannot make a judgment until I am properly informed.
I have attended both the developers’ and the objectors’ presentations. The pictures and facts provided were contradictory. At the latter, the chairman of the Courtmacsherry Development Committee, John Young, sensibly proposed that both sides should get together and publicly present and discuss their different views. I could not agree more.
In the plans, the marina, with car park and ancillary buildings, would occupy nine acres of a largely pristine area of foreshore, alongside of which run a pavement and road giving fine views of the bay, the beach, the old Tanner’s pier, the one-time gate lodge of the Earl of Shannon estate, the gracious Courtmacsherry Hotel and the woods edging the sea channel.
It is important that this view, if it is to be changed or obscured — as the objectors maintain — be compensated for either by an equally beautiful man-made structure, or an installation that brings prosperity to the community. The villagers have a right to discuss the ‘balance sheet.’
A debate based on pictures of what the facility would look like in the context of the village would be most useful.
The developers say concerns are groundless; one hopes they are right. They have taken the initiative; they have put their hands in their pockets to make preliminary studies and plans. Neither time, nor Courtmacsherry, stands still, and any development bringing new life to the community, without damaging its qualities, is to be applauded.
Unfortunately, the developers’ presentation left questions unanswered, as key pictures, such as the site marked on the aerial view, were not provided. Equally, given the non-attendance of developers, drawings in the objectors’ presentation could not be authenticated and questions were unanswered.
What is required is a to-scale virtual presentation, by the developers, of the installation as it would be in the postcard-pretty village, followed by a meeting in which pros and cons can be debated by both sides. The people of Courtmacsherry deserve no less.
To-scale ‘walk through’ presentations are not difficult, nor costly, to generate and are often used by architects. Most readers will have seen kids’ computer games in which ‘good guys hunt bad guys through city streets’ scenarios are reproduced to scale.
The developers’ engineers will be familiar with 3D walk-through-simulation programmes, like 3D Studio Max. These can be run on a computer, or projected onto a screen, and will allow the viewer to, virtually, walk through the village, down the road, with houses on the right and sea on the left, and cars and human figures in proportion, giving a clear image of the scale.
The proposed ‘development’ is then inserted. The viewer can ‘walk’ towards it from any direction. Given that the engineers have measurements, producing a ‘walk through’ presentation would require little time and cost. It would surely be worth it to allay public fears and garner goodwill.
If the village is to be irrevocably changed the residents must see, and clearly understand, what these changes will entail, socially and environmentally. The developers maintain the changes will be for the best. Amongst them are neighbours and friends, who certainly have no intention of doing Courtmacsherry a disservice, nor of denying the residents the right to informed discussion.
Whatever the decision on the present siting, they have established that, in general, the villagers will not object to their developing a marina, provided it is appropriately proportioned and sited. I would certainly support one.
