After the M8 was constructed, €3.2 million was allocated to Fermoy and surrounding areas for road works in areas affected by the construction work. While €2 million was spent on the first phase of works in Fermoy and in other areas including Rathcormac, it now seems that the remaining €1.2 million is no longer available and the remainder of the Fermoy works are ‘up in the air’.

At a Fermoy area meeting, councillors argued that a committment was given at the time to get Fermoy resurfaced and they now want to know where that money, that they understood was ringfenced, has gone.

Cllr McCarthy said that the promise made should have been kept and he particurarly cited the footpath outside Charlie McCarthy’s as being in very bad need of repair. 

According to a letter from the NRA during the summer, the provision for any additional works in Fermoy is now a matter for Cork County Council instead of the NRA and the councillors said that this is simply not acceptable.

Cllr O’Flynn argued that they were led to believe that the money would be there when it was needed and now it seems that it is gone.

The issue has now gone back to engineer Brendan O’Gorman who will be writing to the Director of Services Tom Stritch to seek clarification on what funding was received and if there were any conditions attached, before the issue is taken any further as, he said, they were making assumptions without knowing what went on.