Waterville sustainability plan surveys online soon

ON-LINE surveys of organisations and the general public will take place over the coming weeks in the greater Waterville/Ballinskelligs area as part of the development of the Waterville Catchment and Ballinskelligs Bay Sustainability Plan.

The plan is being developed through the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme in conjunction with groups and stakeholders. The project aims to develop a community and stakeholder-led Sustainability Plan for the Waterville River Catchments and Ballinskelligs Bay, to recognises the importance of these assets to the region from an economic, social ecological and cultural point of view. This will maximise their benefits while ensuring they are fully sustainable in future. The catchment runs from Bealach Oisín in the east to Bolus Head and Hogs Head in the west and incorporates the River Inny and its tributaries, Lough Currane and the waters that feed into it and the streams on both sides of Ballinskelligs Bay.

Public consultation meetings are planned to take place once the COVID-19 restrictions allow, but in the meantime, O’Raw Consultants, who are developing the plan, aim to undergo a series of online surveys to gather views on these resources and how they can best be managed. Initially the surveys will be conducted with representatives of the stakeholder groups and will then take in the whole area. The project also involves organising a schools-based project to ensure the views of young locals are taken into consideration.

Project Steering Group representative Seán de Buitléar said that while engaging with people around developing a plan such as this is difficult at this time, undertaking the on-line surveys as proposed will enable work to continue on the project. “It is vital that the development of this plan is driven and taken forward by the local communities, businesses in the region, and stakeholder organisations who benefit from and have a role in managing these wonderful natural resources, and therefore every effort needs to be made to interact with them” Seán said. “We hope people will input into this process to ensure it reflects their needs and ideas” he added.

Representatives of O’Raw consultants will be in contact with stakeholders in the next couple of weeks and will then expand the process to undertake wider on-line consultations in advance of future public consultation meetings. They hope to undertake the schools element on-line in conjunction with local schools in advance of the end of the school year.