Road project for 'forgotten corner' of Cork approved after two-year delay
Infrastructure Councillor Without Footpaths Proper Local Denis Said File 20 Over Or Road For A Picture: Residents In Living Been Minihane Lehenaghmore Some Have Years
A long-awaited road and pedestrian safety project for a “forgotten corner” of Cork has been cleared to proceed after land acquisition was finally approved following a frustrating near two-year wait.
An Bórd Pleanála has confirmed the compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) associated with the Lehenaghmore Road Improvement Scheme, which were advertised by Cork City Council in August 2022.
The large CPO involved over 80 individual plots and 25 different landowners. Eight objections were submitted to the board but seven were withdrawn before an oral hearing was held in May to address the one remaining objection.
Council engineers told the hearing they could deliver the scheme without acquiring this specific plot and they agreed to omit it from the CPO.
The Bórd has now confirmed the CPO process, with minor alterations including the omission of this plot, which clears the way for the council to move to tender for the works which are designed to improve the road and pedestrian links from Lehenaghmore, an area which came under the city council’s jurisdiction following the boundary extension in 2019.
Local Fianna Fáil Cllr Fergal Dennehy said some residents in Lehenaghmore have been living without proper footpaths or road infrastructure for over 20 years, and the issue should have been addressed a lot earlier by Cork County Council.
“To put it in context, the road, serving approximately 600 houses, is currently accessible only by car, creating significant safety concerns,” he said.
“Narrow stretches of the road force pedestrians to cling to the ditch when cars pass, posing a serious risk of accidents. Fortunately, no one has been seriously injured or killed yet.”
Sinn Féin TD for Cork South Central Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire welcomed the CPO approval.
"This community has been waiting far too long, they are completely cut off, with no safe way to walk to shops or schools. This saga has been going on for years. I hope that this can finally get moving now,” Mr Ó Laoghaire said.
Former Lord Mayor and councillor Mick Finn, said the progress, although frustratingly slow, will be welcomed by the huge residential community in an area he described as "a forgotten corner" of the county before the city boundary extension.
“Lehenaghmore is one of the most populated areas of the city now, with even more housing schemes being advanced and a new school planned for the area. Proper footpaths and roads are long overdue and it’s good to see it approaching the final straight,” he said.