A proposed 45-house development on Inchydoney Island near Clonakilty in west Cork would open up the area for further extensive development and lead to traffic congestion, a group of residents has warned.
Friends of Inchydoney spokesman and local resident Traolach Ó Donnabháin said the group was particularly concerned that the project, by John Fleming Construction, would lead to massive traffic congestion on the island, which is linked to the mainland by two causeways.
"The two causeways are barely able to cope with the volume of traffic coming here in the summer months as it is, and another 45 houses here will lead to further traffic problems," said Mr Ó Donnabháin, who has lodged an objection.
The construction company applied to Cork County Council on December 20th to build 42 semi-detached and three detached two-storey houses.
The development would be serviced by a new 900m road which the company would build to feed into a new roundabout. Mr Ó Donnabháin said residents feared that rather than improving traffic flows, the new road would lead to further congestion near the beach. Additional traffic coming from two directions would be funnelled on to a roundabout in the very area where congestion starts, he said.
"We believe the solution to traffic-flow problems on the island during busy weekends in the summer is the provision of additional distance parking facilities in the area of this proposed roundabout with improved pedestrian access to the beach."
He said the residents' other major fear was that, once built, the road would pave the way for the systematic rezoning of other parts of the island for further development.
Fleming Construction's general manager Vincent O'Donovan said the company believed the project was a high-quality development that would benefit the island. "The area has been zoned for development for some time so somebody was going to build on it - we believe we will be more sensitive to the area than anyone else." He said the firm was willing to meet residents to discuss their concerns.