Planning permission for a bus shelter has run into strong opposition from locals in Fermoy who say its construction will impact negatively on them.
Rudimentary in their design, bus shelters have a long history of raising the hackles of those who reside beside them. A matter of hours after the sign seeking planning for the shelter was erected locals were on the blower to public representative Cllr John Murphy who lives close by. The long serving councillor lost no time in helping organise a petition.
“This is not the first time this proposal has come up, I think the residents are 100% correct to oppose it, no benefits will follow to them and they are very sceptical about Bus Eireann’s motivation in attempting to situate the shelter in front of people’s houses.
"I’ve assisted the residents in every way I can and will have a motion opposing this development ready for the next meeting of Fermoy Town Council, ” he said.
Residents claim there is absolutely no need for such a facility as the existing bus stop is predominantly a drop off point.
In a letter alerting fellow residents to the proposal they identify a number of concerns relating to the bus shelter namely: its potential to attract crowds who in turn may loiter, cause vandalism, create litter and potentially act in an unsocial manner; the shelter will use up badly needed car parking spaces, hinder the flow of natural light to their houses, obstruct cyclists and pedestrians and not be maintained.
