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Fears for our Blue Flag beaches
23.06.09
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
CONCERNS have been expressed that Inishowen may lose
its Blue Flag beaches if Donegal County Council
staff employed to clean and maintain them do not
have their contracts renewed next month.
The council employs three staff to maintain the Blue
Flag beaches at Culdaff, Lisfannon and Shroove, but
the Inishowen Independent understands that their
contracts, which expire in July, will not be renewed
given the recruitment freeze in the public sector.
Blue Flag beaches must meet extremely high standards
of cleanliness and facilities. The beach must be
clean and bins must be available in adequate numbers
and regularly maintained and emptied.
“It’s very sad,” said Fianna Fáil Cllr Rena Donaghey.
“These people do a great job and we need to keep
them in place. It’s very difficult to get a Blue
Flag in the first place, and just as hard to
maintain it. I’d be afraid of what might happen if
these staff are no longer in place.”
Cllr Donaghey pointed out that the Council had
introduced bylaws regarding the control of dogs and
horses on beaches (another criterion Blue Flag
beaches must meet) and that it was disappointing
that cleaning staff might no longer be in place. |
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Fine Gael Cllr Bernard
McGuinness said the loss of Blue Flags would be
“very detrimental” to tourism locally, but that he
intends to strongly make the case for the retention
of the council staff with the authorities in Lifford.
He expressed confidence that an exception could be
made for |
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beach cleaners.
“I am hoping to introduce a community litter watch
in the Culdaff area, but it will be hard to motivate
the local community if the council is seen to be
removing essential cleaning and maintenance staff,”
he added.
“I’d also be pushing for Kinnego Bay to be developed
to the extent where it qualifies for a Blue Flag,”
Cllr McGuinness said.
Cllr Rena Donaghey said that she will be asking for
staff to be redeployed to main the beaches if the
existing contract staff are not retained. “But in
the meantime, I’d ask people who use our beaches to
take their rubbish home. If everyone did their bit
then it would lessen the load on us all.”
Cllr McGuinness also expressed concern about the
continuing use of Culdaff beach for parking and all
night parties. “One vehicle parked in the sand dunes
there last week and we need to stamp that out as
jeopardises our Blue Flag status,” he said.
No unauthorised camping, parking or driving is
permitted on Blue Flag beaches. Donegal has 12 Blue
Flag beaches, the second highest total of any Irish
county after Mayo, which has 13. |
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