Update provided on essential repairs to sea wall: Councillor says residents fear for their homes

Cork County Council has been criticised for its lack of urgency in addressing a potentially dangerous issue on the East Cork coastline affecting a number of homes.

Green Party Councillor Liam Quaide said he was concerned that there appears to be no progress on essential repairs to a sea wall providing protection to an eleven-house terrace in Roches Point known as the Coastguard Cottages.

Residents of the housing terrace fear damage to their homes after Storm Ellen last August caused significant damage to a concrete plinth that reinforces the wall.

Mr Quaide called the lack of progress by the council in addressing the issue a ”prolonged and inexplicable impasse.” 

County Engineer Kevin Morey addressed the comment saying it was “no mystery” and said that the council was following “a process” to address a number of coastal erosion issues along the coastline.

“This is an issue we have spoken about on a number of occasions. There are a number of areas of coastal erosion that have been flagged to us, particularly in the last year and a half. In order to address this issue, we have to provide a mechanism where we can manage it. 

“I put a case to the managers' group which was generally accepted about the level of resources we need to put somebody in place to manage that scheme and then to try and see what budget might we have this year to get started and then in the years going forward. 

“That’s the delay. It’s not a mystery, there is a process to this.” 

Mr Morey said once there is resource approval Coastguard Cottages was top of the list for assessment in order to apply for funding from the Office of Public Works (OPW).

“The OPW have their own parameters in how they assess these in terms of cost-benefit analysis, impact, etc, so that will need to be looked at and I can’t predict the outcome but we will put forward a case.”