Cork's Glen - latest photos show extent of destruction

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday May 01, 2003 12:56 by Sean - Reclaim the Glen (Cork) (086) 3004573

Sandmartins flying around looking for their destroyed nests

MAY DAY, Thursday 1st May. 12.45am. The destruction of the Sandmartin colony at Goulding's Glen has continued relentlessly despite numerous appeals to Cork City Council, Bord Pleanala, Duchas and the Developers.

The above photo shows a section sandbank, used by the Sandmartins for nesting, taken on 22nd April. Photo 2 shows the same section of sandbank today, May 1st. The destruction is almost complete.

Several members of the Reclaim the Glen campaign visited the site this morning to discover that a further assault on the sandmartin nesting area had been made with little remaining of the western sandbank. The eastern area remains intact for now, but for how long?

Some of the councillors who shamefully voted to rezone this unique area are trying to defend their decision by pointing to the housing crisis. We in the Reclaim the Glen campaign recognise this crisis, however this is no excuse for the destruction of this marvellous habitat and the ongoing overall threat to Goulding's Glen. Surely people have learned from the housing disasters of the 1960s when mass housing estates were built with no green areas or recreational areas. The same councillors who made this scandalous decision are the very ones who sold off 111 acres of prime housing land in Mahon to multi-millionaire developer Owen O'Callaghan where he is now building the Mahon Point Shopping Centre- Cork's version of Liffey Valley / Quarryvale.

For more details see earlier postings on Indymedia

http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=44718

and

http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=45632

We are currently establishing a Reclaim the Glen website with full details of our campaign on Murphy's Quarry and the Glen in general. In the meantime we urge you to contact the developers, the local authority and other supposedly responsible authorities and public representatives about the destruction of this habitat. All contact numbers can be found by following the above links.

Thank you.