3 April 2021
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Ireland’s Defence Minister Coveney this week confirmed that Government has assigned responsibility for the remediation of the former factory site on the Island to the Department of Defence.
Simon Coveney TD is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence. He is also the Deputy Leader of Fine Gael. File photo from Gerard McCarthy
The Minister stated that with the successful remediation of the East Tip site into a 22-acre Public Park, the way is now clear for the remediation of the rest of the Island. The Minister paid tribute to the collaborative work carried out by Cork County Council and the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine in turning the disused site into a public amenity, encompassing 4km of waterside paths and a 1km jogging circuit, complete with wildflowers areas and hundreds of new trees. The park has already become a significant community asset, which will continue to benefit the people of the harbour and environs into the future.
The project was undertaken in partnership with Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine in response to the need to remediate the East Tip. This remediation project was completed at a cost of €25m.
The Minister emphasised that the continued participation of Cork County Council in overseeing the implementation of the remaining remediation works with his Department is crucial and welcomed the recognition that Government has given to the local authority’s expertise in this area.
The Minister indicated that he has already has preliminary discussions with senior officials in Cork County Council on the way forward and is looking forward to working with them in completing the final remediation project.
