Public car park in East Cork town 'taken over' by rogue motorhome and caravan owners 

Rogue motorhome and caravan owners have “taken over” a public car park in Midleton, and some of the vehicles have been there for months, councillors say. Human and animal waste is also being dumped in the area.

Members of Cork County Council’s East Cork Municipal District were told that tourists and locals were staying away from Distillery Lane car park, beside the Midleton Distillery visitor centre, for lack of parking and because of foul odours from the waste.

Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern said she had been monitoring the site daily and counted 11 motorhomes and two caravans parked there for up to six months.

Ms Ahern said one vehicle had its wheels jacked up, one was parked across two spaces, and others had been there so long that they had flat tyres and long grass was growing up around them.

Ms Ahern said two caravans appeared to be “completely abandoned”.

Independent Ireland councillor John Buckley, a member of the local Tidy Towns group, said he recently counted 16 motorhomes and four caravans in the car park.

Mr Buckley said: “It seems some people are sleeping in them. That’s the last thing we want to see.

“The smell down there is revolting. It’s turning people away from going there.”

Mr Buckley also said that human and pet waste was being dumped in the vicinity.

Parking laws not enforced

Ms Ahern questioned why parking by-laws had not been enforced at the free public car park, as signs clearly state that there is a maximum parking limit of 48 hours.

Ms Ahern said: “We’re coming up to Christmas, and I want to see increased footfall coming into Midleton.

“There’s a massive tourist hub at the distillery and this car park is not properly operable. We need to go after these vehicles.”

She asked if newly appointed community wardens could use their powers to remove the vehicles, but was told by officials this was not within their remit.

Fine Gael councillor Rory Cocking described the situation as “farcical”.

Officials said they could ask gardaí to take action against the owners.

Several councillors also argued that the problem highlighted the need for a dedicated motorhome facility in East Cork.

Issues in Youghal

Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley said there had also been issues in Youghal with rogue motorhome and campervan owners.

Fine Gael’s Michael Hegarty pointed to the success of the council-operated facility in Cobh, the first municipal-owned motorhome park in the country. It provides parking, electricity, and waste disposal.

Mr Hegarty said that the council owned a huge amount of land next to its municipal offices at Midleton Lodge, and suggested that part of it could be opened as a motorhome park.

A written reply from council officials stated: “Awaiting the outcome of the national motorhome parking guidelines and will revert back to councillors if any work can be undertaken in the interim.”

Mr Hegarty said he was not happy with the response, adding: “For Christ’s sake, it shouldn’t take a lot [to develop].”