Funding allocated to council ‘totally inadequate’ for West Cork coastal projects

Funding allocated to Cork County Council for coastal and marine works has been described as “a pittance” at a meeting of the council’s western division, with councillors calling for a significant increase in central government support for West Cork projects.

Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins told the meeting that the current level of funding is “totally inadequate”, warning that key developments were stalled due to budget constraints.

He pointed to the proposed marina development at Glengarriff as an example, saying it would “take up one quarter of the funding by itself” under current allocations. He added that the western division, which includes one of the longest coastlines in the country, was not receiving a fair share of investment.

Mr Collins called on Cork County Council to write to the minister for the marine and the department seeking an urgent increase in funding.

Social Democrats councillor Ann Banbury said that “on the ground, the scarcity of funding is alarming”. She added that, while there were “a lot of announcements”, little was materialising in practice.

Disgusted at lack of investment

She said she was “disgusted” by the lack of investment in West Cork coastal infrastructure.

Independent Ireland councillor Daniel Sexton also backed calls for increased funding, saying: “Unfortunately, we are not getting the money from the top down.”

He added that there was “a lot more we could be doing if we had more funding”.

The concerns were raised following a report presented to councillors that outlined the status of a wide range of coastal and marine projects across West Cork.

The report detailed ongoing works and funding applications including coastal protection schemes at Glandore, Long Strand, Rosscarbery, and Sherkin Island, as well as proposed pontoons and pier upgrades at Glengarriff, Schull, and Baltimore.

Among the major initiatives outlined was the Cork coastal vulnerability study, being developed in partnership with University College Cork, which aims to map erosion risk, model future coastline change up to 2050, and support long-term planning for coastal protection.

Councillors were told that many schemes remain at feasibility or funding application stage, with some projects delayed due to landowner agreements, environmental assessments, or lack of allocated funding.

• Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.