Action plan: 2023

Action plan: 2023

Our action plan for 2023 lists the work we’ll do under the 8 themes identified in 2012 as most important to our community.

See what we’re doing where you live:

1. Culture and heritage

    • Paint a mural of Waterfall Railway Station at the service entrance to Earl’s Well
    • Work with interested parties and carry out research on subjects of local historic interest. Publish findings to ballinora.com

      Subjects of local historic interest include: 
      • Ballymacadane Abbey
      • Inniskenny Church Yard
      • Corbally Graveyard
      • Ballinora National School
    • Research the Donovan family headstone in Corbally Graveyard
    • Investigate the possibility of using Ground Penetrating Radar (GRP) for archaeological investigations in Corbally Graveyard.
    • Put up an information board on West Cork Railway near the railway station sign
    • Put up a replica of an old-style phone box

2. Social Inclusion

    • Promote social opportunities for older people. For example, a drama group, book club, scrabble club, historical society

3. Environment

    • Through the ‘Better Energy Communities Programme 2020’, facilitate a community-wide deep retrofit energy improvement in buildings
    • Record locations and occupancy of installed bird and bat boxes
    • Research appropriate native shrubs and flowers and carry out pollinator-friendly and companion planting
    • Compile a list of flora and fauna common to Ballinora and Waterfall
    • Identify locations of invasive species and load to a digital map
    • Make plans – with the help of appropriate expertise – for the control and eradication of invasive species
    • Repair gaps in hedgerows with native shrub species – in consultation with landowners
    • Investigate whether the site at the Viaduct end of Castlewhite road can be used for a woodland plantation
    • Complete Habitat Map (Fossitt level 3) for Ballinora and Waterfall
    • Complete Digital maps of the area
    • Regularly upload locations of local interest to the digitised map
    • Complete phase 3 of Bat Survey to a professional standard
    • Submit BAP data to National Biodiversity Data Centre
    • Carry out a quality evaluation of the Curraheen river from Greybrook to Curraheen

Waterfall

    • Fit solar lighting to Waterfall Railway Bridge, plant 4 sides of the Bridge – some work already done by TidyTowns
    • Pour footpath from Heatherfield to Ballymah pitch and down to Marymount
    • Work on connecting Waterfall and Ballinora villages with a walkway
    • Put up welcome signs on both sides of Waterfall village

Ballinora

    • Put up a display board at Goblin Corner showing a natural bird sanctuary in this area
    • Repair the stone fence across from the church
    • Explore introducing a book swap facility in the Ballinora
    • Pour footpath on the right-hand side of the road after the bend under the trees, along the right-hand side of the Village as far as the church entrance
    • Put up chevron arrow sign at the start of the stone fence opposite the church entrance
    • Install kerbs at the base of the stone fence opposite the school as far as the entrance to Woodside
    • Pour concrete surface drain from GAA entrance to the Ballinora Stone sign
    • Tar and chip both sides of the road edge at Hall Hill Bridge
    • Paint yellow lines on both sides of the road through the village between the ‘Welcome’ signs
    • Touch up the mural and put a sill along the top of the wall to protect the mural

Jimmy’s Cross

    • Install public lighting and erect a dry stone wall at the corner near Dineen’s house at Jimmy’s Cross

Ballinora Cross

    • Install public lighting

4. Safety & Security

    • Continue participation in the community alert programme

5. Roads and Road Safety

    • Remove 2 trees at the west side of Old Abbey Railway Bridge
    • Build a pathway from Ballinora Village to Waterfall Village and on to Ballymah GAA pitch
    • Place convex mirrors at dangerous bends
    • Fill in roadside drains on narrow roads around the parish
    • Put up a direction sign for Castlewhite at the southern end of that road
    • Work with Cork County Council on road speeds in the area
    • Follow up on developments on the idea of a footpath linking Waterfall with Ballinora Village.
    • Install a pedestrian crossing at Ballymah Pitch entrance
    • Complete list of jobs supplied to Cork County Council – Carrigaline
    • Attach ‘road not suitable for HGVs’ signs on narrow roads in the area

6. Communications

    • Conduct a parish-wide survey
    • Put up a billboard in Ballinora and Waterfall for use by organisations promoting events

7. Recreation

    • Develop Sli na Slainte walk in the parish – km marking, steps taken, Kcal burned

8. Infrastructure

    • Work with the GAA on the refurbishment of the meeting rooms in the hall