100 signatures reached
To: Sligo Co Council and Swim Ireland
Design and Location of the Mullaghmore "Accessible Swimming Shelter”
By signing this petition sheet, you will be requesting Sligo Co. Council, and Swim Ireland, to do one of the following in relation to the "Accessible Swimming shelter” in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo:
1. Relocate this facility
or
2. Provide an alternative and appropriately designed facility,
in a location and a manner that respects
the (a) environment, (b)scenic character of the area and the (c) right of citizens / all stakeholders to actively and meaningfully participate in the decision making process.
Stakeholders include:
1. Relocate this facility
or
2. Provide an alternative and appropriately designed facility,
in a location and a manner that respects
the (a) environment, (b)scenic character of the area and the (c) right of citizens / all stakeholders to actively and meaningfully participate in the decision making process.
Stakeholders include:
- Local swimmers
- Wheelchair users and their carers
- Citizens of Mullaghmore and North County Sligo
- Visitors and tourists
- Impacted business people
Why is this important?
We need your support to insure that the much needed, accessible public swimming facility in Mullaghmore is:
- Functional
- Respects both the environment in which it is located
- Respects the rights of citizens to be actively and meaningfully involved in decision making at every stage of the planning process
This structure has been described as a “wheelchair accessible swim shelter” by Sligo County Council; however, many people, including potential users of this facility, have identified several issues, and they are:
1. Functionality of the structure:
(a) Facing into the prevailing west and south-west winds and rain, on high ground and thus
cannot provide any significant shelter
(b) Exposing swimmers, including women and children, to the gaze of passers-by on the main beach path, as they undress to go swimming. This will be exacerbated if the outdoor shower is installed.
(c) Cannot be accessed or used by wheelchair users
(d) Is not at a convenient distance to the shore for users
(e) The seating area cannot be seen from the beach or shore, to monitor the safety of any
personal possessions that might be left there
(f) It is facing away from the view of the sea
2. Environmental Impact:
The site on which this structure has been located is in close proximity to a Special Area of Conservation(SAC*). Mullaghmore beach is part of that SAC. Therefore, a publicly accessible, appropriate environmental assessment of the site, should have been
produced before this structure was installed.
*An SAC designation identifies a Special Area of Conservation, which is a protected natural site designated to safeguard rare, threatened, or vulnerable habitats and species of European importance. It has a legal basis because it was established under the European Union's Habitats Directive and is part of Natura 2000, a vast continent-wide
network of protected nature sites.
Damage has already been caused to the vegetation and the low cliff edge of the SAC, to the rear of the shelter, due to animals creating a shortcut to access the structure to use it as a scratching post (photographic and video evidence is available). Inevitably, the low cliff edge will erode further due to human and animal traffic on this new route and the
impact of the elements on the cliff face. This will be exacerbated due to runoff if the outdoor shower is installed.
Several more similar structures are planned to be installed around the coast of Ireland in association with Swim Ireland. Of the 5 structures already installed, the one on Portnablagh Pier, Co. Donegal, has recently fallen over.
3. Democracy:
Almost no member of the local community, the potential users of this swim shelter, including local swimmers, visitors,
local businesses or others with a genuine interest and/or concern for the development of this community, village and region, were consulted in a meaningful way about the planning, designing or implementation of this structure in this area. This structure is a public amenity and is not an exempted development; therefore, appropriate environmental assessment and meaningful public consultation should have taken place before the tender documents were signed for its construction and installation. Thousands of taxpayers' money has already been spent on this structure. The cost of the structure,
with the proposed shower, is likely to be €12,500.
According to the Government-issued Local Democracy Reforms policy, local authorities such as Sligo Co. Council should be engaging in “meaningful public consultation” so that those bodies “move away from mere ‘box-ticking’ toward genuine, early, and transparent community engagement”. A core standard for Meaningful Engagement is early Involvement: Local authorities are encouraged to “engage communities before project designs or policy paths are finalised, allowing public feedback to genuinely shape local plans”.
4 Aesthetics:
The current location of the structure is visible from the scenic route and picnic benches as it is positioned on the skyline, interrupting views of the sea, sky and landscape. This area is classified as a ”sensitive rural landscape ….. with a low capacity to absorb new development” according to the Sligo Co. Development Plan.