Charity expresses wildlife concerns over Cork BusConnects proposals

A CORK charity aimed at protecting and promoting Ireland’s wildlife has expressed ongoing concern over aspects of the proposals under BusConnects Cork.

Earlier this year, Cork Nature Network launched its ‘Green Today Gone Tomorrow’ campaign urging the National Transport Authority (NTA) to re-think elements of the proposed Mahon to City Sustainable Transport Corridor (STC) J which the group said would negatively impact the disused Beaumont Quarry.

The former quarry is nestled amongst the cityscape of housing, stadiums, and roads in Ballintemple and is, Cork Nature Network say, an important green space for wildlife and recreational use.

Concerns

“Our concerns really are that the proposal involves extending into the quarry with an overhanging footpath and that’s going to cause quite a bit of destruction to the habitat because the area in question is marked in the management plan we have with Cork City Council for the site and it’s a rewilding area,” Gill Weyman, a director of Cork Nature Network, told The Echo.

“Our ecologist went out and did an assessment and there’s at least 200 trees that would have to come down.

“It will disturb the invertebrates, it’ll disturb bats that are feeding – we know bats are feeding at the site – but it’s also going to cause huge disturbance to the local residents... they’re going to get a lot more noise and they’re concerned about their privacy too.”

Balance

Ms Weyman said Cork Nature Network did meet with NTA officials to share their concerns over the proposals.

“We are for sustainable transport but there’s a balance when its removing green spaces which are so important as well for climate change,” she said.

“We have made suggestions to them – ways that it could be worked so that there’s not such a huge impact on the site and obviously local people.”

She said she is concerned that no amendments to the proposals have been made.

A spokesperson for the NTA said the authority has been “engaging with Cork Nature Network in relation to Beaumont Quarry and how the BusConnects Cork proposals for Sustainable Transport Corridor J Mahon to City might impact on the quarry”.

“As part of that engagement, the NTA discussed a number of concepts with the group on how the proposed cross-section along that part of the corridor might be achieved.

“This included the possibility of developing a short, cantilevered section of footpath in the most constrained area.

“We took away the group’s from that engagement and the design team are continuing to refine the proposals.

“A final outcome on exactly what will be proposed in this area is yet to be determined.”

The spokesperson said, as a result, “it is difficult to say at this stage exactly how many trees might be impacted”.

“As with all of our proposals, the designers will be making every effort to minimise any environmental impacts,” they added.