Reprieve for Cork bird colony

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday April 25, 2003 13:58 by Sean - Reclaim the Glen (Cork)

City Council stop all work on controversial site

As reported on Indymedia earlier this week, builders had started to demolish a recognised sandmartin nesting site on Cork Northside in breach of Planning. Finally after a week of urgent calls to Cork City Hall, the City Council have ordered a stop to all work on the site.

Cork City Council received hundreds of phone calls from people living near Goulding's Glen afer heavy machinery moved in over the Bank Holiday weekend to demolish the old Murphy's Quarry which is the site of a rare colony of Sandmartins.

Cork Councillors controversially rezoned the area last year for the building of 58 houses by a property developer - Mr. Val O'Connor - Cork's top funeral undertaker.

Amazingly 26 of Cork's city councillors voted for the Material Contravention of the City Development Plan at the developer's behest. Only three councillors voted against.

An Bord Pleanala finally ruled that the development could go ahead but imposed strict conditions, including the protection of the sandmartin nesting area. These conditions were shamefully breached last weekend as a heavy digger began to claw away at the nesting site.

For photos and further details go to the Indymedia index at
http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=44718

This afternoon (Friday) officials from the Planning Department of Cork City Council moved in and instructed the developers to cease all work on the site pending an investigation.