Northside group ‘is not against housing’ but is against destruction of natural amenity

A northside community group has stressed that they are not opposed to housing in general, but to the destruction of a natural amenity in their area.

It comes as the Murphy’s Rock Bride Valley Support Group sent a letter to TDs and councillors about survey works which are to begin on a Dublin Hill site which could yield 4,420 homes, saying the homes would be built on “the last natural green space” on the northside of the city.

The Land Development Agency (LDA) announced this month that 41 hectares there will be surveyed to assess their suitability for affordable and social housing.

The chair of the Murphy’s Rock Bride Valley Support Group, Joan Lewis, explained: “Any development in this area — be it housing or factories — will kill the biodiversity of the valley, taking away critical feeding areas for the wildlife.

“We are opposed to any activity that will impact the site.”

At the end of July, the group met with the agency to understand the proposed development in Murphy’s Rock.

Two years previously, the agency told the group there would be no development on this land for at least eight years and a public consultation would take place before any development.

“We strongly believe that any development should cease until the Local Area Plan for Blackpool/Kilbarry is completed. This is currently being compiled by the Cork City Council with a plan to go to public consultation,” Ms Lewis said.

“This will give the public the opportunity to decide how they see it being developed in the future — as a public amenity or developed,” she added.

Green Party councillor for Cork City North East Oliver Moran said: “The LDA will not be proceeding with any developments until the North Blackpool/Kilbarry framework plan is completed.”

This will include a public consultation, and he has spoken with officials about including the Murphy’s Rock Bride Valley Support Group in a pre-consultation phase before creating a draft for formal public consultation.

Ms Lewis said other sites being reviewed or utilised by the agency “are already developed and have little or no impact on wildlife or biodiversity,” but “Murphy’s Rock is a pristine site and we believe should be maintained as an amenity with protected wildlife”.

“Murphy’s Rock has been used as an amenity for centuries, and has been relatively untouched for over 100 years. It is an area of great beauty and biodiverse life,” she added.