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he proposed enhancement plans for the Strandhill shorefront continues to be a hot-button issue for concerned residents, businesses, and visitors to the seaside village. Last Friday a fourth round of public consultation was launched with respect to the Public Realm Enhancement Scheme for Strandhill. This saw representatives from the council setting up a gazebo on the promenade of Strandhill and inviting stickynote feedback from the public in relation to the three proposed plans for potential developments on the seafront. Those who missed the public consultation are also encouraged to submit their views online through the council’s website. Executive Planner with Sligo County Council Leonora McConville said the goal of this final round of consultation is about talking to people one-on-one and allowing those concerned to voice their opinion in a direct way as previous consultations were conducted during the pandemic and had to take place online. “We have three options we are putting forward to people. “One is to do nothing. One is quite an extreme example of what can be done, which is full pedestrianisation. T “he third option is a hybrid, allowing vehicle access and leaving circa 20 spaces for designated disabled permit holders and age friendly spaces,” she said. “There’ll also be two delivery loading bays which we don’t have at the moment. It’s all about seeing what people think of those three options.” In 2020, Sligo County Council secured funding through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) to prepare public scheme plans for Rosses Point and Strandhill. The aim of the fund is to rejuvenate towns and villages, enhance unique outdoor amenities, culture and heritage, and strengthen rural economies and the provision of tourism infrastructure. The vision for Strandhill has sought to readdress the balance between pedestrians and vehicles, improve overall safety for visitors, and enhance tourism potential and capacity for the village. While there have previously been a number of rounds of consultation in relation to the proposed plans there have been concerns that some voices were not being listened to, with many representatives from the business community voicing their opposition to reduction of parking at the shorefront. Neil Byrne of Mammy Johnston’s ice-cream parlour stated that the removal of car parking from the seafront could have a negative effect on their business during the quieter months. “The business community are not against change, we all look forward to progress and moving things forward but feel the removal of car parking at the seafront, or reducing it by 80%, is going to have a detrimental effect to the wintertime business,” he said. “The west coast of Ireland is not kind to us so on bad days, it’s going to put people off coming to Strandhill if they don’t have the convenience of parking at the shorefront. “I think the council are doing their best and I wouldn’t envy them in their job, it’s very hard to get everybody running in the same direction, but again I always refer to Strandhill as an ecosystem we can destroy it very easily and we have to careful how we move going forward “In the wintertime, there’s four of months of the year where it’s a struggle to stay open and if we remove the car parking I’d be afraid we’d end up like a typical seaside resort where it’s impossible to stay open for those months and come the 1st November everything shuts down. “I grew up here in 80s, I saw the devastation of mass immigration and I would never want to see Strandhill going back to that.” However, there are also those who are strongly in favour of pedestrianisation. One resident who grew up in Strandhill is Paddy Gaynor who stated that he understands those who have concerns but believes the benefits to pedestrianisation would outweigh the negatives. “Strandhill, like most tourist destinations in the west, has two faces to it, in the winter when it’s really quiet and in summertime when it’s beyond max capacity on a busy day. “On those days most people are inevitably going to find there’s no parking spaces anyways and then they’ll have to turn back and that causes all the congestion,” he said. Mr Gaynor said while many are highlighting accessibility issues, this is a topic that also links in with a number of other concerns. “If there were more frequent buses down to the seafront that would provide more access, it’s about linking in with other transitions that are happening in response to climate change, we have to become less car dependent, it shouldn’t be viewed as losing something it should be seen as gaining something. “We gain so much from having more public space and the potential that offers. I worked as a surf instructor here before and a big part of the job is being a traffic warden and having kids who are excited to go for a surf running out on the road while you’ve got cars racing down. Seamus McGoldrick from the Sligo Surf Experience said that when he initially heard about plans for pedestrianisation he thought it sounded like a great idea, but he is not sure that it is something that could work all year round for the village. “I would love to see the shorefront become less of a car park and more of public space but pedestrianisation won’t work for the winter months. “I still think there is a lot of scope for improvements with all the developments happening in Strandhill,” he said. Mr McGoldrick suggested a special management plan for the busier summer months to deal with the high volume of traffic and also said a ring road or one-way traffic system might be a more acceptable option if it was feasible. “The council have their hands full, it’s great to see the public consultation and that people can have their say,” he said. Allan Mulrooney, head of communications with the Western Development Commission, said it is incredible to see such a huge level of public engagement with the consultation and that he believes the right approach would be a hybrid model that allows for some pedestrianisation while compromising with shorefront businesses who provide so much employment in the area. He highlighted Strandhill as an area with a lot of transient activity with large amounts of visitors coming and going for a variety of reasons leading to large volumes of traffic congestion. “I would see no risk in going full hog on either angle because I think progress is positive once it’s managed. “If the community is seen to be saying no to progress that money will just be spent somewhere else,” he said. “If we say no full stop to a Government initiative like this they’ll go to the next community because there isn’t enough money to go around, we are in the positive position of being seen as a community that wants change and wants to instigate change, we just have to careful how to do that going forward because if we pull that ladder up we might not get it back again.” Once the final consultation is completed a report will be presented to members of the Borough District of Sligo, which consists of the Sligo-Strandhill area, who decide which option to go with. This then goes to part 8 planning process before another round of public consultation. Ms McConville stated that even if a consensus is found on the plans it will still be a number years before they come to fruition. Over the last number of months there has been lively debate amongst councillors in relation to the Strandhill public realm enhancement scheme with some expressing a desire for pedestrianisation and others staunchly against any reduction of seashore parking in the village. Cllr Sinead Maguire is a member of the Strandhill Community Development Association and said she feels this could be a really positive development for the area. “I think Strandhill and Sligo could lead the way nationally in relation to how we treat our public amenities and create spaces for all people from pedestrians to cyclists and give priority to people with disabilities and older people to ensure they always have access to the most beautiful parks of our country which Strandhill is part of,” she said. One councillor who has been consistent in his opposition to pedestrianisation is Cllr Tom MacSharry who said that while he believes there should be enhancement works in relation to health and safety, as well as the widening of footpaths, he thinks any reduction of parking spaces would be a ‘retrograde’ step. “It would have an adverse effect on what is so beautiful about Strandhill. Particularly with elderly people, those with mobility issues, and other people to deny them the opportunity to park at the shorefront I think would be a very bad move for the council, Strandhill, and Sligo. I would be steadfast against any proposal to remove parking from the shorefront.” Cllr Declan Bree welcomed this final stage of public consultation and stated he is hopeful this phase will ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. “I believe this phase of the consultation may have helped clear up some of the confusion about the enhancement project and will have encouraged people to examine the various options suggested by the consultants. “I say that because I had a concern about some of the misleading information posted online about the issue in recent months,” he said. “Strandhill is one of the jewel’s in Sligo’s Crown. It’s a place close to my heart and it’s important that we get things right in terms of its future development. “Like all of my council colleagues in the Borough District I now look forward to hearing the outcome of the process.” Sligo/Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry has said the two biggest issues that must be addressed in the seaside village are ‘traffic management’ and ‘coastal erosion’.
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