Locals face into reality of season without a Blue Flag
LOCAL PEOPLE in north Wexford are coming to terms with the loss of the Blue Flag at Courtown’s North beach, after Wexford County Council withdrew the flag last week due to a significant reduction in sand levels.
The beach is now closed to swimming, but Wexford County Council noted that the water quality testing continues.
‘Excellent water quality results are continuing to be achieved and we view the flag removal as a temporary measure. We expect that the beach will recover naturally over time and we will monitor this closely with a view to reopening the beach as soon as possible.
‘In the long term, we are developing a major beach re-nourishment scheme to restore and retain a beach at Courtown,’ a spokesperson said.
He added that at this time it is not possible to estimate the economic impacts if any of Covid-19 on funding for this beach re-nourishment scheme.
Meanwhile, local people have been reacting to the recent development and the loss of their beloved beach.
Sam Kennedy of Courtown RNLI said that without a beach, the Blue Flag is just an emblem that doesn’t mean anything.
‘ This is the first year in a long time that we haven’t had the Blue Flag, but I suppose it was nearly obvious when there was no beach there anymore, which is a pity. Over the years, I’ve seen drastic changes. When I first started coming to Courtown, there was a massive beach out and you could walk out the North pier and there’d be sand nearly the whole way out.
‘It really has disappeared and it’s terrible to see Courtown without a beach. Courtown was always Wexford’s premier seaside resort, and the beach is what brought people,’ he said.
Speaking about tourism in the area, Imelda Willoughby of the Taravie Hotel said that not having a Blue Flag will not stop the area bouncing back after the Covid-19 lockdown.
‘We still have lots of amenities like the seal sanctuary, the woods and there are lots of other things that bring people to Courtown and they won’t stop coming.
‘Not getting the Blue Flag came as a surprise because it is a clean beach. I’m sad that we haven’t got it this year as we’ve always had it and it looks nice. You’d be delighted that it’s there’.
Both Sam and Imelda were critical of the rock armour measure at the beach, and spoke about the need for a different type of long-term investment.
‘As part of Courtown Tourism Promotion and Courtown Community Council and Tidy Towns, our fight for years has been to make a promenade as it’d benefit people all year round. At the moment, the place is full of rocks, and there has been absolutely huge erosion over the years. People are well aware of the erosion and a lot more could have been done with the rock armour out to the sea to make alcoves of beaches.
‘We’ve been feeling the effects of that now rock armour since they did it really,’ said Imelda.
‘My opinion is that the Council made a mistake putting the rock armour there. They should have put a sea wall there and created a nice promenade, and put some groins out to trap the sand so it can build up behind it,’ said Sam.
‘I know the whole area there has been eroding over the years, but the rock armour was the wrong thing to put there. There’s been surveys done, and we’ve been saying this for years. The Council dredge the pier, drive the sand up the north end of the beach and dump the sand. The sand should be put in there by the lifeboat slipway at the boat house, and it’d make its way up north to make up a beach,’ he said.
Geraldine Shiels of Courtown Connect agreed that there needs to be more joined-up thinking going forward.
‘ The place needs an overhaul, and I’d love to see the local people communicating and connecting with each other. We have strong individuals in the area who are well able with great ideas, and we just need those people to come together to push the idea. Communication is the key.
‘Not getting the Blue Flag did come as a surprise, and now it’s like we’re not preparing the area for the summer season. Courtown is still a very popular place for memories and nostalgia, and we have other beaches that aren’t that far away.
‘Courtown’s beach and harbour needs a massive influx of money and development. There had been talk of break-water boundaries, but there’s plenty of talk with no action. We’ve had no feedback yet from the public consultation on the north beach marina feasibility study but the community certainly need to come together on this.
‘We have a derelict site in the middle of the harbour, it makes it unattractive,’ she said.
Sam Kennedy said that Courtown’s north beach should be the focal point of the town, like before.
‘A marina only suits people with boats, it doesn’t suit the ordinary people who want to come here to relax but a beach suits everybody.
The people need to work now and really concentrate on getting the beach back.
‘ There has been other places all over the British Isles where beaches have eroded, but they’ve done something to get the beaches back. Something can be done to get the beach there, and in my view groins get the beach back’.
Speaking about coastal erosion, Green Party MEP Grace O’Sullivan described it as a ‘plague’ on Irish coasts.
‘Our shores are being ravaged by erosion which has been exacerbated in recent years due to the effects of climate change. Courtown is a very dramatic example with its beautiful golden sands effectively swept away virtually overnight.
‘But all along the coast erosion is to be seen. It’s imperative that a coastal erosion strategy is drawn up and put in place. We are a small island nation and our shores are particularly vulnerable to the effects.
‘People in the area here have lost the opportunity to enjoy all the fun and obvious health benefits but it also effects wildlife and biodiversity in the area. Long-term thinking and inter-departmental planning needs to go into developing strategies to prevent some of the damage that will continue to happen if we don’t act now to defend our coastline’.
Ballymoney north beach received its Blue Flag this year, and Coastwatch founder Karin Dubsky from the area said that in contrast, Courtown’s North beach was worse than she had ever seen it.
‘We have a very volatile coast and large amounts of sand do move and return, sometimes overnight. So it’s possible all is not lost but having said that, Courtown has had problems for a long time and I don’t remember it as bad as this’.
At high tide, the beach can be completely covered by water and all agreed that a plan must be made now to save the beach.
‘ The loss of the blue flag at Courtown because of the loss of sand heightens the urgency of the counter erosion plan for the area as well as the long term development of the marina,’ said Gorey senator Malcolm Byrne.
‘We need to save the beach and counter the dereliction in the village. Courtown remains a beautiful harbour and locals try keep it as best they can but there has not been the level of urgency nor engagement from the County Council. It is a big concern because the beach was a great amenity and it’s hugely important for tourism in Wexford’.
Courtown received its Blue Flag last year, but even then it was noted that the narrow beach was depleted significantly due to coastal erosion.
The Blue Flag programme aims to raise environmental awareness and promote sound environmental management of beaches, marinas and inland bathing waters around the world and is one of the world’s most recognised eco-labels for beaches.
THERE HAS BEEN PLACES ALL OVER THE BRITISH ISLES WHERE BEACHES HAVE ERODED BUT THEY’VE DONE SOMETHING TO GET THEM BACK.