A FORMER firefighter at Clonakilty Fire Station has welcomed progress on plans for Clonakilty’s much-needed new €1.2m fire station, with works expected to begin on site next month.
Padraig O’Reilly, who previously served as the town’s mayor and has been selected to run for Fianna Fáil in next year’s local elections said that the construction contractor has received the letter of intent from Cork County Council in relation to the build of a state-of-the art fire station on the bypass.
‘I served as a firefighter from 2006 to 2022 and at the time when I joined there were extensive plans drawn up for a new station at Deasy’s car park but those plans were dashed,’ said Padraig.
‘Thankfully now there is light at the end of the tunnel for my former colleagues of Clonakilty Fire Station. I am looking forward to the development starting in the near future and to see the project being completed. It is the least that these fantastic group of people deserve.’
A Cork County Council spokesperson told The Southern Star that they are unable to provide specifics at this time but ‘anticipate commencing on site later this month’
The project has faced delays in recent years, despite it receiving Part Eight planning process in 2018.
Cllr Paul Hayes previously criticised these delays in bringing the project forward and since then new fire stations have been built in both Macroom and Kanturk but the Clonakilty project stalled.
Cllr Hayes said that the firefighters have to put up with outdated facilities at the Rossa Street fire station where there is a lack of changing facilities and no showers.
He also said that the current location can become congested with traffic at various times of the day, making it difficult for the crews to make a swift exit in the event of an emergency.
