Potential uses for central Fermoy site
Following calls for Cork County Council to purchase lands located beside Fermoy Town Park, potential uses for the land have been discussed locally.
Last week’s meeting of the Fermoy Municipal District saw local councillor Deirdre O’Brien call for the land adjacent to Fermoy Swimming Pool and Fermoy Town Park to be purchased by the council, citing it as an ‘opportunity’ to develop and expand on the Town Park. This week, ideas for the land were floated by locals, with one claiming that the site could be used to develop car parking for the area.
In August 2021, it was reported that a sale had been agreed on the Mart Car Park site in the town, where the council currently leases a portion of the land to provide public car parking.
With a sale agreed to a private individual, concerns were raised locally regarding future car parking within Fermoy.
The avondhu
Issued a query to Cork County Council regarding the matter, as the current lease on the car park is due to expire in July of this year.
“The local Municipal District Office has recently instructed the property section of Cork County Council to commence negotiations with the property owners in relation to the renewal of this lease,” a council spokesperson said.
On Friday, April 22, a count was carried out on cars parked in the Mart Car Park by one local, who reported a total of u 164 cars parked in the area.
“There were 164 cars parked there on Friday. If development does go ahead on that site, where are those cars going to go?” the local said.
‘THINK AHEAD’
Other potential uses for the site beside Fermoy Town Park included the provision of a new Garda Station, provision of a local civic amenity site, a council yard for storage of machinery and flood barriers, as well as parking for busses such as tourist busses and the Local Link service.
“A lot could be done if the council bought that site. They just have to think ahead. The flood barriers could be stored there instead of costing them a fortune bringing them up and down Barrack Hill. It’s a big site. A lot of things could be done there,” the local told The Avondhu.
Currently, the site adjacent to the Blackwater River and Town Park is on sale in one or more lots and, last year was granted full planning permission on the southern section of the site to develop a garden centre and café.
At the end of April 2001, the headline news in TheAvondhu was the unveiling of the ‘Galtee Boy’ sculpture on Baldwin Street, mounted on the wall of the house in which the ‘staunch Fenian’ John Sarsfield Casey was born in 1846.
Locals in Fermoy predicted ‘disaster’ for the town if a toll was introduced at Corrin. At the time the charge would be £1.09 per trip, and other fears were that people would continue to use the N8 up until Watergrasshill to avoid the toll altogether, leaving Fermoy still ‘clogged’ with traffic.
In April 2001, there were some probing questions raised about the spike in planing permission for piggeries throughout North Cork. The council were ‘retrospectively or otherwise’ granting planning for piggeries that had developed ‘without permission’. The council now having done their job (apparently), ‘the regulation of the environmental aspects’ relating to the piggeries ‘was now a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency’.
In Killavullen, pictures showed Billy and Catherine Magner enjoying their retirement party after 28 years in business at The Forge Bar.
Construction began in Conna on the long awaited sheltered housing complex for the village. Meanwhile, in Kilworth, a decision was awaited on the status of the local Post Office following the retirement of Mrs Betty Lee. Applications for those willing to take on the role were being considered by An Post.
In Mitchelstown, Paki Fitz’s was back open after a ninemonth closure due to construction work.
Lismore Millennium Park was taking shape following plans drawn up less than a year previously. Residents felt that the presence of the new park would have a big impact on the town’s Tidy Towns score, and it would make a ‘considerable difference’ to their chances of winning a national award.
Watergrasshill Community Association were eager to extend a warm welcome to new residents of the village, whose population had increased up to 400 people with the development of new housing. The association didn’t want the village to become ‘two camps’ and so were eager for everyone to be integrated.
In Tipperary, a suspicious fire in Skeheenarinky/Burncourt was being investigated by Gardaí. The unoccupied house was not connected to an electricity supply, yet the upstairs was ‘engulfed’ by flames. Meanwhile, the fire brigade was called to a fire at a house in Ballindangan - the same house had been the subject of multiple bogus calls to the brigade previously.
M i t c h e l s t own’ s ‘Country Pride’, the dairy spread, had a special offer of a twin pack of the spread with a free sachet of herb seeds. You could win a herb growing pack worth £40 simply by entering their competition in The Avondhu!
In Waterford, the juvenile GAA teams of Tallow and Knockanore had amalgamated to form Cois Bhríde. They decided to ‘brush aside’ the rivalry that existed between the two teams and a jersey combining the Shamrock and Tallow colours was created. Also in the county, Tallow poet Sheila Smyth was short-listed for the Strokestown Prize at the International Poetry Festival in Strokestown, Co Roscommon. Her satirical poem ‘Blood Relations’ dealt with the topic of Garda corruption.
With the abating of the risk of Foot and Mouth Disease, a phased restart of fishing was under discussion, but for the moment anglers from Northern Ireland, the UK and Holland would not be allowed.
An investigation was ongoing in Gurteen Forest in Ballyhooly as the tops of over 200 silver birch trees were stolen. The trees were planted 12 years previous, and while not confirmed, a Coillte rep believed the theft to be for the making of horse jumps or hurdles as the wood was ‘soft’ and would hurt a horse less if he knocked against it!
In Kilworth, popular publican Donal Kenneally saw the new extension to his house blessed by Fr Vincent O’Grady. The extension was built to facilitate Mr Kenneally’s therapeutic needs following a building accident in 1999.
In Shanballymore, the ‘Golden Oldies’ were honoured by the local GAA club as they celebrated the 1951 County Intermediate Hurling winning side - ‘It was reckoned to be the best panel ever assembled to wear the red and black’.
Ballyporeen’s U21 C footballers were set to take on Clonakenny in Boherlahan. Meanwhile, in county Cork the Killavullen lads captained by John O’Regan secured the U21C title, beating Abbey Rovers for the honour.
In TheAvondhu Classifieds pages, Ballylanders made a call for trad musicians to come to come and play. They particularly wanted to hear from ‘ the lady from Fermoy who plays banjo’!