When you get the Inish times what section do you read first? This isn’t a survey but if it was I bet the most popular section to turn to would be the planning permission pages.
There is a lot of development going on around the peninsula in country areas and also in the towns. I was looking through the list of the issues that were raised in the A.G.M. of the Buncrana Chamber of Commerce last week. There are some very valid points such a traffic management, lack of car parking and the fact that there are no toilets in the town. The ferry from Buncrana to Rathmullen was also under discussion. As valid as these issues are I feel that there is an issue being overlooked that could generate a substantial income for the town… The allocation of green spaces.
QUALITY OF LIFE
I’m using Buncrana as an example here only because this is where I live. I know the same issues are arising in most towns on the peninsula. With the development of roads, houses, shopping complexes and car parks we are losing green space. Before too long the town will expand and the estates that are scattered around the outskirts will join together. At present we have the shorefront where a new play area is opening which is great to have such an amenity. Then there is Swan Park. This jewel which was donated to the town by Harry Percival Swan is an oasis of nature and a good example of preserving areas of natural beauty for future generations. This area will, I’m sure, eventually find houses encroaching on its outskirts, which will take away from the feeling of being at one with nature. Of course we also have the shore front and shore path, but with a rapidly growing population and the likelihood of more tourists, it is just not enough. Especially as the town expands, access to natural environments for a lot of people gets further and further away, particularly if you don’t have transport.
There is a riverside walk near us that is quickly disappearing. The path is in need of urgent repair and the familiar site of rubbish is present. Houses have been built to back on to this walk and there are obvious signs of arguments between residents and people wanting access to the riverside walk. Some residents have put up No Entry signs and covered their fences with miles of barbed wire, so low down that if anyone slipped on the uneven path they would incur serious injury. What I’m trying to say here is that as our towns expand, land is getting more and more valuable to everyone and we need a green belt around Buncrana. I’m not talking about a small patch of greenery where the builder couldn’t squeeze another house onto an estate because of planning restrictions. I’m talking about using natural features (like the river walk already mentioned), to create public walk-ways, parks, big public expanses of greenery and trees (maybe even an arboretum for an added attraction) where any-one can walk, play and get away from the hustle and bustle into a peaceful place. Once land has been developed it’s lost to us. Creating parks is an expensive business, but the rewards go far beyond monetary value, it’s a quality of life, not just for us but for our children and grandchildren’s children.
I’m certainly not opposed to development as long as careful consideration is given to preserve the natural beauty of the peninsula; this goes for the towns as well. If green belts are overlooked in the expansion stage of Buncrana, the town will loose its appeal, not only to the people who live here and love the place, but also to the tourists. There needs to be a good reason for tourists to stop off in Buncrana and spend some time (and money!) and not just jump on the ferry to get to Rathmullan or drive through the town to get the ferry at Greencastle.
One of the reasons for stopping in Buncrana should be the fact that we planned ahead and incorporated places of natural beauty into a growing town and didn’t put up a house or build a road on every available piece of land!
There is a lot of development going on around the peninsula in country areas and also in the towns. I was looking through the list of the issues that were raised in the A.G.M. of the Buncrana Chamber of Commerce last week. There are some very valid points such a traffic management, lack of car parking and the fact that there are no toilets in the town. The ferry from Buncrana to Rathmullen was also under discussion. As valid as these issues are I feel that there is an issue being overlooked that could generate a substantial income for the town… The allocation of green spaces.
QUALITY OF LIFE
I’m using Buncrana as an example here only because this is where I live. I know the same issues are arising in most towns on the peninsula. With the development of roads, houses, shopping complexes and car parks we are losing green space. Before too long the town will expand and the estates that are scattered around the outskirts will join together. At present we have the shorefront where a new play area is opening which is great to have such an amenity. Then there is Swan Park. This jewel which was donated to the town by Harry Percival Swan is an oasis of nature and a good example of preserving areas of natural beauty for future generations. This area will, I’m sure, eventually find houses encroaching on its outskirts, which will take away from the feeling of being at one with nature. Of course we also have the shore front and shore path, but with a rapidly growing population and the likelihood of more tourists, it is just not enough. Especially as the town expands, access to natural environments for a lot of people gets further and further away, particularly if you don’t have transport.
There is a riverside walk near us that is quickly disappearing. The path is in need of urgent repair and the familiar site of rubbish is present. Houses have been built to back on to this walk and there are obvious signs of arguments between residents and people wanting access to the riverside walk. Some residents have put up No Entry signs and covered their fences with miles of barbed wire, so low down that if anyone slipped on the uneven path they would incur serious injury. What I’m trying to say here is that as our towns expand, land is getting more and more valuable to everyone and we need a green belt around Buncrana. I’m not talking about a small patch of greenery where the builder couldn’t squeeze another house onto an estate because of planning restrictions. I’m talking about using natural features (like the river walk already mentioned), to create public walk-ways, parks, big public expanses of greenery and trees (maybe even an arboretum for an added attraction) where any-one can walk, play and get away from the hustle and bustle into a peaceful place. Once land has been developed it’s lost to us. Creating parks is an expensive business, but the rewards go far beyond monetary value, it’s a quality of life, not just for us but for our children and grandchildren’s children.
I’m certainly not opposed to development as long as careful consideration is given to preserve the natural beauty of the peninsula; this goes for the towns as well. If green belts are overlooked in the expansion stage of Buncrana, the town will loose its appeal, not only to the people who live here and love the place, but also to the tourists. There needs to be a good reason for tourists to stop off in Buncrana and spend some time (and money!) and not just jump on the ferry to get to Rathmullan or drive through the town to get the ferry at Greencastle.
One of the reasons for stopping in Buncrana should be the fact that we planned ahead and incorporated places of natural beauty into a growing town and didn’t put up a house or build a road on every available piece of land!
Environmental
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