FORMER Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Colm Kelleher will table a motion at the next meeting of Cork City Council to seek an update on the collapsed weir at Ballincollig Regional Park and any plans to repair the structure.

The historic weir collapsed in late 2014, having been built in the 1790s to divert water to the local gunpowder mills.

In June 2021, Patrick O’Donovan, the minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), visited the site to see the collapsed weir and spoke with local and national public representatives.

At the time, the OPW said that while there are no hydraulic benefits to the scheme from the weir, it agreed to assess the feasibility of including any proposed works on the weir into the construction contract for the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme (LLFRS).

Speaking to The Echo, Fianna Fáil councillor Mr Kelleher said the saga of the collapsed weir has been going on for too long.

“It collapsed over six years ago,” he said. “There were calls from public representatives back then to have it reinstated because the weir effectively supplied water to all the canals that are within the regional park and there has been an effect on a natural ecosystem — essentially the canal beds in there have run dry.

“I, along with other ward councillors, have been lobbying for the last number of years. My very first motion on Cork City Council when I was elected back in 2019 was to get an update on it.

“To be fair, Cork City Council at the time had just taken ownership of Ballincollig following the boundary extension. But that was 2019; we’re now in 2023,” he said.

“Last year the OPW said they may intervene in it. Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan had asked his officials to examine whether the badly-needed repairs could be linked in with the LLFRS.

“I went down as lord mayor at the time, along with public representatives on Cork City Council and Oireachtas members, and we met the minister; we walked the river; we showed him the canals; we showed him the damaged weir; and fast forward more than 12 months and nothing has been done on it,” Mr Kelleher said.

The councillor said he will be looking for clarity on the repair works. “I have put down a motion for the next council meeting to seek clarity from the executive as to what stage the plans are at,” he said.

“Within the LLFRS, my first question will be, has the department come back and approved that it can be incorporated into the LLFRS — yes or no? And, if yes, how far along has it been progressed and, if no, what other funding streams can we look at in relation to reinstating the weir.”

Mr Kelleher said the regional park is “the jewel in the crown of Ballincollig” and is enjoyed by both local residents and people right across the city.

“It’s a beautiful amenity and the jewel in the crown but unfortunately there’s a massive crack in that jewel and it needs to be repaired,” he said.