Groynes are a ‘cost-effective’ solution

Cork County Council is to apply for funds for the installation of land saving groynes along parts of the coastline most at risk of sea erosion.

The funding will be applied for through the OPW Minor Works Scheme which can grant a local authority up to €2 million in funding for a given project.

Coastal erosion has long been a cause for concern for those living along Cork’s roughly 1,200km coastline.

A groyne is a long narrow structure built perpendicular to the shoreline and stretching into the sea to limit the movement and loss of sand and shingle.

Speaking during Monday’s meeting of Cork County Council, Fianna Fáil Cllr Patrick Mulcahy said coastal erosion is “no longer a distant or abstract concern”.

He said: “It's an urgent and growing threat to communities along the Cork coastline.

“From Youghal to Crosshaven, from Ballycotton to Castletownbere , we're seeing the same pattern.”

More concentrated rain over shorter periods of time and longer dryer spells are contributing to increasingly powerful wave action, said Cllr Mulcahy, which have accelerated the erosion of Cork’s land banks.

“There is no protection of our coastline to slow down the energy of those waves,” he added.

Mr Mulcahy described the installation of groynes as a simple, practical, and cost-effective solution to coastal erosion.

“Groynes are a proven low-cost measure used around the world to reduce wave energy and slow the erosion of valuable land,” added Cllr Mulcahy.

Carrigaline Cllr Audrey Buckley (FF), who has long advocated for better defences against costal erosion in Cork, welcomed the motion.

She said: “It's very important the next county development plan that we look at our planning guidelines as well and have a step-back rule for houses being built along our coastlines because that's also not helping the whole situation.”

Bandon-Kinsale Cllr Marie O’Sullivan (FG) also welcomed the motion but asked if the council would consider the use of natural coastal protection measures such as the planting of marram grass, also known as beachgrass.

She said: “Marram grass can play an important role in stabilising sand dunes and reducing the movement of sand inland.

“At beaches in our own municipal district, such as Garretstown and Garylucas, the local area office regularly has to deploy machinery to clear sand from the road, and measures that help stabilise dunes and reduce sand adrift would therefore be beneficial, potentially reducing maintenance costs while also protecting the coastline.

“While groynes can be effective when properly designed and maintained, they can also present safety risks and may alter natural sediment movement if not carefully managed,” added Cllr O’Sullivan.