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Anger in Cork as once-popular Cobh strand set to remain closed indefinitely due to lack of funds
A rocky strand around half a kilometre long between the Titanic Memorial Garden and Cuskinny Strand, Battery Strand was closed in June 2013 on public safety grounds following an inspection by an engineer involved with the Cobh Landslide Programme.
For generations the Battery Strand was a popular place for locals in the seaside Cork town to swim and bathe. The strand was accessible via a gate in the Memorial Garden's boundary wall, but that gate has been locked for the past dozen years.
The closure has been controversial, especially around summer-time each year. However, the local authority doesn't see much hope of getting funding to shore up the cliff.
Responding to a motion by Councillor Sinead Sheppard (Fine Gael) at this week's Cobh Municipal District meeting, Municipal District Officer Páraig Lynch said that there are no plans to reopen access while the current situation remains.
He said that the most likely solution to the issue would be to shore up the cliff face, which would have the effect of essentially covering the beach area, thus rendering it inaccessible. Mr Lynch added that while 50 to 70 metres of the cliff are owned by the local authority, the bulk of it is owned privately.
A 2020 report prepared for the Municipal District by the County Council's Coastal Management Section found that there was evidence of slippage along the cliff face and a medium to high risk of collapse. The report also stated that the works necessary to stabilise the cliff face wouldn't meet the criteria of the OPW's Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme.
Cobh Municipal District members were advised at that time that works to shore up the cliff could cost in the region of €500,000.
Speaking at this week's Cobh Municipal District meeting, Councillor Sheppard said the strand was "closed correctly but we need to raise it and to exhaust every avenue."
Councillor Cathal Rasmussen (Labour Party) said the decision to close the strand was on health and safety grounds and the cost involved in fixing it would be "huge." He added that "we've tried everything and made no progress." Councillor Anthony Barry (Fine Gael) said remediation would be "very costly" while Councillor Ger Curley (Independent Ireland) concluded that "it's probably not viable to be doing it."
However, local man Peter Kidney disputes the opinion of the local authority. A petition he set up in 2021 calling for access to the Battery Strand to be restored gained 1,317 signatures. Speaking to The Irish Independent, he queried whether all funding possibilities have been exhausted:
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"Have the municipal authority made any application for funding to central government? Why spend €144 million on cleaning the water in the lower harbour if you deny people access to the amenity?"
He believes only a small portion of the strand is owned privately and the bulk is owned by Cork County Council and the municipal authority. He also thinks there's a safety risk to having access to the beach closed off.
"There is no other access to the strand for two miles so if a yacht or small boat is in trouble they can only be rescued from the water," Mr Kidney said.
In January 2023 the Crosshaven lifeboat had to beach itself to take onboard a man who had fallen on cliffs at the strand as paramedics and fire service personnel were unable to extract the patient by land.
Researchers at UCC are currently carrying out a study into coastal erosion in County Cork. For now, it looks like state funding won't be forthcoming to fix the Battery Strand. Councillor Rasmussen said: "We tried everything to get money, everything was shot down. It's very difficult, it was a great amenity and is a huge loss to the town."
He said the plans he saw for shoring up the cliff would require an L-shaped prop from the cliffside to the water. There's also the difficulty of access with everything needed for a shoring-up effort having to come in from the water side of the strand, he added.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
