BusConnects officials urged to formally take Beaumont Quarry proposals off the table 

BusConnects officials are being urged to consider submissions made by members of the public and to formally take off-the-table proposals that could see significant changes to a major green space in the city.

Beaumont Quarry, an abandoned limestone quarry situated near Páirc Uí Rinn, is a popular recreational area on Cork city’s southside, and it is a sanctuary for urban wildlife.

The area supports 154 plant species, and wildlife like the red fox and wood mouse, while serving as an important foraging habitat for bat species, with the soprano and pipistrelle bats roosting in a nearby walled garden.

Members of Cork Nature Network, which has collaborated with Cork City Council and Beaumont residents over the past eight years to preserve the quarry, have raised significant concerns about changes proposed on the BusConnects STC J Mahon to City route.

One proposal under consideration in the BusConnects plan, they say, involves developing a car park in the walled garden, as well as the removal of mature trees and a historic water tower.

Labour candidate for the Blackrock area Peter Horgan has urged BusConnects to respect dozens of submissions made by members of the public under the most recent round of consultations.

Public submissions on BusConnects, made before the recent December 18 deadline, show that almost 100 people specifically objected to any planned changes to Beaumont Quarry.

The latest round of proposals for BusConnects sustainable transport corridors showed that the proposed car park at Beaumont had been removed from consideration prior to that December consultation, but Mr Horgan warned that it could return to future iterations of the plan.

“It is not formally off the table and it must be fought again by residents to ensure it is not brought up the table,” Mr Horgan said.

Gill Weyman, chair and director of Cork Nature Network, said the changes proposed previously to Beaumont Quarry would irreversibly harm a habitat that had been diligently protected until now.

“While we recognise the need for improvements in urban development and public transport, Cork Nature Network believes these should not come at the expense of important green spaces like Beaumont Quarry,” Ms Weyman said.

Referring to the previous, controversial proposal to build a bridge over Ballybrack Woods in Douglas, known locally as “the Mangala”, which was abandoned in November 2022 following a public outcry, Mr Horgan said similar pressure needed to be brought to bear on protecting the history of Beaumont, and enhancing it for those living there now.

“I would call on BusConnects to formally take the Beaumont Quarry proposals off the table once and for all,” Mr Horgan said.