Cork City North East: Issues with buses, discoloured water and housing to the fore, local election candidates say

THE Cork City North East ward comprises Mayfield, Tivoli, The Glen, St Lukes, Ballyvolane, Dublin Hill, parts of Blackpool, Montenotte, Glanmire, and surrounding areas.

Housing was one of the main issues identified, with current councilors saying it is one of the main things they are hearing about from their constituents.

They identified problems relating to a lack of supply, with difficulty securing places for private rental, affordable, or social housing and properties to buy, which is leading to many adults living with their parents, even when they have children themselves.

The quality of the homes was also a cause for concern, as was ongoing issues with the water supply in the northside, where frequent water outages have left residents frustrated and having to buy bottled water out of a fear of getting ill from drinking their tap water.

The Green Party’s Oliver Moran said housing, was “a huge issue” across Ireland and in the North East ward, saying “housing is probably the number one thing I get contacted about”.

He said there was a lot going on at the moment, such as the Ballyvolane area being earmarked for expansion, two active sites progressing in the constituency and the Land Development Agency (LDA) delivering 300 cost rental apartments on the North Docks by 2026.

But at the moment, the situation remains difficult, with Independent Ken O’Flynn saying “I’m meeting parents of college graduates living in the box rooms in their house — they can’t qualify for affordable housing, can’t get on the social housing list, and can’t afford to buy a property.

“I am meeting a lot of people that are 50-plus in rental accommodation, who lost properties and jobs in the crash and they’re asking what’s going to happen to me when I’m 67, what are the options for me?

“There are people with children and grandchildren under the same roof, trying to save for deposits, and they are an undocumented kind of homeless.”

Labour’s John Maher said: “While there’s positive development from private land developers, the state needs to do better in Cork North East.

“There’s state-owned land like the old Cork prison lying idle, and derelict houses in Collins Barracks that could all be used for housing.”

There are also issues within existing housing, with Ted Tynan of the Workers Party explaining that the Mayfield flats have 260 families living with insufficient heating.

He also raised the issue of the ongoing issues with the water in the northside of the city, saying he received four phone calls in one day from people unable to drink their water or even use it to wash their clothes.

“This dates back to July 2022 when the treatment plant put sodium hydroxide in the water as part of the purifying process but got the balance wrong,” he said, explaining that the extra chemicals in the water cleaned out the inside of the pipes, removing rust and sending it into the supply, and causing leaks which led to outages.

The water frustration is such that a motion by Mr Tynan in January for Cork city council called for the abolition of Uisce Eireann passed.

At the meeting, he told the council how a young mother and her six-month-old baby were covered in brown “rusty sludge” when going for a shower, which left the baby with a rash on its skin, which a Glanmire GP said was from coming into contact with “toxic material”.

He said people who call him about the topic also have reported nausea and stomach problems, with many having to buy bottled water.

The council backed his motion, he said: “I was a bit shocked, taken aback but pleasantly surprised, so that’s the policy of Cork city council now — to urge the government to hand operations back to the local authorities so it can be under public democratic control.”

The water issues were also raised by Mr O’Flynn, who said “water discoloration has really affected the northside — for two years, people are worried about their children’s health, the cost of living has already gone up and now they’re having to add drinking water to their bills.

“At least we have an acknowledgement and a recognition of what needs to be done, but it will be a big challenge to try and secure the investment to replace the pipes section by section.”

Residents frustrated with Bus Éireann services across the locality

PUBLIC transport was another major issue raised, with residents frustrated about buses turning up late, not turning up at all, disappearing from apps, skipping stops, leaving stops early, or showing up full so that nobody can get on.

This leaves residents struggling to get to work, school, university, or medical appointments on time, and often reliant on expensive taxis.

The constituency is eagerly awaiting the better service under Bus Connects, which Bus Éireann say will improve reliability, but in the interim, trust in the bus service is low, meaning people are favouring private cars which are adding to traffic congestion and thus, worsening the bus service.

Fine Gael’s Joe Kavanagh said “Bus Connects is very topical at the moment, I’m involved in a number of groups on it”, with Mr Moran saying that residents in both Dublin Hill and St Luke’s “engaged with the NTA and came out very happy with what’s proposed”. However, at the moment, the buses in the area are not reliable for residents, with Sinn Féin candidate for the area, Mandy O’Leary Hegarty, previously revealing huge issues with the 214 service, which goes through Riverstown and Glanmire.

Figures show that between December 9, 2023, and February 6, the 214 service left a stop early 7,552 times, left a stop late 75,416 times, and did not turn up at a stop 29,327 times.

Mr O’Flynn said “everybody is complaining about the buses, or the lack of buses and buses not turning up on time”.

“Bus Éireann needs to invest into an app that tells you if the bus is coming or not, at least you’ll know how long you’ll be waiting.”

Mr Tynan added “there’s a shortage of drivers for the public bus service, and I wonder why that is the case — if they paid decent wages and conditions for the drivers they would get a lot more.”

He added that thousands of trucks go through Mayfield on a daily basis, adding that these HGVs using the North Ring Road was a temporary measure announced 40 years ago, but still remains in place today.

“It’s impacting the function of the 208 buses to have to cross it, there is congestion caused by all the traffic and it is impacting the bus timetable — a 208 bus can be trapped between two junctions for 15 minutes and worse at peak times.”

Mr Maher addressed these HGVs going through town, saying “the Northern Distributor Road has been held up by An Bord Pleanála for two years, and it’s very frustrating because we have the money for it.

“The road is crucial not just for the northside but for Cork. It’s in the hands of the National Transport Authority to choose the route which leads to a lot of uncertainty, developers will wait and see where the road goes to build more houses, so one effects another.”

As well as building new roads, the state and safety of existing roads is of paramount concern, Mr Kavanagh said: “The condition of the roads and the increased traffic flow is something that needs to be addressed. We have major problems with speeding traffic, and are continuously working on traffic lights so children can travel safely to school.

“I’ve also had a number of motions in about the condition of footpaths in the area, I’m very concerned about the deteriorating conditions,” he added.

Mr Tynan, who recently had a fall on uneven pavement when walking along Wellington Road, echoed his concerns, saying “the deplorable state of our footpaths and pedestrian crossings is a major issue, there are many places in great need of repair”.

He added that broken brick work at pedestrian crossings had led to two people in wheelchairs tumbling out of their chairs, and that the audible buttons to assist vision impaired people are not working in many places, saying “what is supposed to be very safe has now become very dangerous”.

Mr Maher added: “Five years in politics has taught me that it takes a long time to do anything in politics, but it shouldn’t take a long time to fix a footpath, to get the basics right so that people can walk down to the shop without tripping.”

Mr Moran also discussed active travel schemes in place in the constituency, such as in Ballyvolane and Glanmire, which he says is “very car dependent” at the moment, as well as the ongoing work on the commuter rail network which is largely focused in the North East Ward, saying “when the stations open up, that will be a gamechanger”.

‘People are on a waiting list to get on a waiting list at doctors and dentists’

A LACK of resources and infrastructure was also identified in the area, with problems such as getting appointments at doctors and dentists and a lack of parks and sports clubs.

Independent councillor Ger Keohane said he would like to see works to begin on the St Stephen’s Hospital in Sarsfield Court within the next five-year term.

Mr O’Flynn said a load of houses had been built in Glanmire but the usual resources that should come with a population of its size were not built at the same time as the houses, leaving Glanmire as a large community with not enough basic services.

“There’s a lack of resources and a lack of space in Glanmire — people are on a waiting list to get on a waiting list at doctors and dentists, sports clubs are oversubscribed,” he said.

“There’s no thought of infrastructure in the town centre — there’s no reason Glanmire can’t be another Ballincollig or Douglas, but there’s no night time economy.”

Mr Maher agreed, saying “infrastructure in the north side of the city is lacking — playing pitches, community centres, libraries, parks and playgrounds, even benches.

“When it comes to public services the wish list differs in each community, but around the north east ward there are very consistent messages — people want better parks and better access to parks, like the Glen River park, from the Ballyvolane side it’s like an obstacle course to get into the park.”

Mr Moran agreed saying that of utmost importance is “the opportunity for green spaces”, adding “we want to advance the ones we have and those that are developing at the moment.”

He mentioned the land surrounding Murphy’s Rock, an area locals want to see marked as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Glen River park as important areas to the community that must be maintained.

With the lack of things for young people to do comes a rise in antisocial behaviour, and Blackpool, The Glen and Mayfield is one of four areas in Cork where a Community Safety Forum was established.

At the meetings, members of the public can raise issues of concern relating to community safety and quality of life and discuss these with An Garda Síochána, Cork City Council and other relevant agencies.

“The issues brought up can range from everyday annoyances like illegal parking to very serious issues of intimidation and anti-social behaviour,” Mr Moran said. “If you have an issue, you can bring it directly to the forum where it might even be solved on the night, depending on its seriousness, or it remains on the agenda until it is resolved.”

Mr Kavanagh acknowledged “there can be anti-social behaviour in various areas, I’m engaging with the Gardaí on a regular basis”.

He said he had recently worked on getting lighting installed around the Tank Field public walkway, which had previously been a hotspot for anti-social behaviour, leaving residents not feeling safe there.

“The lighting around the walkway is really fantastic, and the residents are delighted with it,” he said.

“Litter is also a big passion of mine,” he said, adding that he founded Mayfield and St Luke’s Tidy Towns groups, and saying “we go out litter picking, planting flowers, and have been doing so for the last seven years — all voluntary”.