Cork Harbour boost

It was great to read a good-news story about the development of the Lower Cork Harbour in your article (Irish Examiner, March 12).

At last we are seeing proper development of the harbour in line with planning policies in the form of the Cork Area Strategic Plan (CASP).

The Minister for the Marine is quoted as saying that “Before we had thousands signing petitions and marching to demand change and investment. This [Harbour Initiative] is an extraordinary endorsement of what people want”.

It is worth saying that people “marching to demand change” helped bring about this opportunity for the proper development of Cork Harbour.

As an example, the clean-up of Haulbowline’s East Tip (a toxic landfill) is due to meaningful citizen involvement. This site had been an eyesore for many years, and in 2007 residents united within Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (CHASE) lodged complaints alongside others with the European Court of Justice (ECJ), asserting that the State and its competent authorities had failed to regulate the East Tip in accordance with EU Directive 82/884/EEC.

As a result the ECJ found in favour of the citizens and we will one day, in the near future, look at Haulbowline as a green site.

Likewise, it was the citizens of Cork Harbour who took a stand against the wrongful development of two proposed commercial incinerators. As well as violating planning policy and several EU Directives, these would have jeopardised the IMERC project (with the potential for thousands of jobs) and the safety of the National Maritime College.

The citizens of CHASE fought this campaign for 12 years, giving their time, fundraising voluntarily and finally winning their battle.

We would like to recognise all those citizens who have supported CHASE over the years, and to thank them. It has been worthwhile standing up for what we believe in.

We look forward to the promising future for Cork Harbour envisioned in the article.

Mary O’Leary

Chairperson

CHASE

Cobh

Co Cork