War of words on Ballincollig Weir repair delay

A VETERAN councillor has rejected criticism of proposals that the Office of Public Works (OPW) repair Ballincollig Weir as part of the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme (LLFRS).

The weir, which is located in Ballincollig’s Regional Park, was built in the 1790s to divert water to the local gunpowder mills and collapsed in late 2014. The weir has been the property of Cork City Council since the 2019 boundary change brought Ballincollig under its remit.

In June 2021, Patrick O’Donovan TD, Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, visited the site of the collapsed weir. At the time, the OPW agreed to assess the feasibility of including any proposed works on the weir into the construction contract for the LLFRS.

Joe Lynch, who intends to run for Sinn Féin in Ballincollig in next summer’s local elections, has strongly criticised the lack of progress on repairing the weir, after a response to a parliamentary question from his party colleague Thomas Gould TD, to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe.

In a written reply, the Minister said: “the [LLFRS] Steering Group in 2021, committed to the incorporation of remedial works to the weir as part of the construction contract and budget for the Scheme, if appropriate.

“The nature of any such remedial works will be subject to an assessment of planning, structural, fisheries and cultural heritage considerations, which the [LLFRS] steering group has asked the scheme’s design consultants, contracted by the OPW, to review.

“Site surveys and inspections have now been completed, and a report is expected to be completed within the next few months."

Mr Lynch told The Echo it had been two years since “a well-publicised photo-op at which local Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael representatives were in attendance”, and he claimed there had been no delivery since.

“Wrapping the repair of a key built heritage project in Ballincollig up in the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme - which will take years to be completed - was entirely the wrong approach.

“The people of Ballincollig deserve an honest answer as to when any decision to fund repair of the weir by the OPW will be made, so that Cork City Council can pursue alternatives if needs be,” he said.

Derry Canty, who will have served 33-years as a councillor when he retires next year – “28 years in the county and five years in the city” – said Mr Lynch’s comments showed he had a lot to learn about the business of politics.

“I was one of the councillors who brought [the then Taoiseach] Enda Kenny and all of the different TDs here to a meeting, including a Sinn Féin councillor, and that councillor would know exactly the position we were in,” Mr Canty said, adding that multiple stake-holders had to be consulted and myriad planning concerns addressed.

“Yes, we were promised by the various TDs and Ministers that the weir would be fixed, and I’m holding them to that to this day.” 

Mr Canty said the repair of the weir was not an issue which should be exploited for political point-scoring, but rather was something toward which all representatives should strive. He added that he had enjoyed a good working relationship with former Sinn Féin councillor Eolan Ryng – “a very decent man” – and he said Mr Lynch could learn a lot from Mr Ryng.

“He [Mr Lynch] should be working with us. Every one of us here in Ballincollig should be working together to put pressure on the Government, and on Cork City Council, because when the rebuilding of the weir finally comes to fruition, and the canals re-open, from a sporting and tourism perspective it will be hugely beneficial for all of Ballincollig,” Mr Canty said.