Our action plan for 2024 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:

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  • Waterfall
  • Ballinora
  • Jimmy’s Cross
  • Ballinora Cross

1. Culture and heritage

• • Paint a mural of Waterfall Railway Station at the service entrance to Earl’s Well
  • Working with interested parties to research local history and publish findings to ballinora.com.Subjects of local historic interest include:
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      • Ballymacadane Abbey
      • Inniskenny Church Yard
      • Corbally Graveyard
      • Ballinora National School

2. Social Inclusion

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

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 the flora and fauna common to Ballinora and Waterfall
  • Identify locations of invasive species and load them 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 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
  • Prepare a draft long-term BAP plan and submit to Community Foundation Ireland 

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

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 a 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 the 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 and 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
  • Put up ‘SLOW DOWN’ signs on various roads in the parish

6. Communications

• • Implement a new strategic plan in association with SECAD
  • 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