Bray's crumbling Victorian esplanade is the subject of a £350 million redevelopment plan which includes an international standard marina and new housing and leisure facilities.
The plan, which is being promoted by locally-based traders under the umbrella of the Bray Seafront Redevelopment Company, also envisages the creation of a new beach. The amenity value of the current beach has, locals argue, been damaged by ongoing coastal protection work.
There has, however, been criticism of the scheme, focussed on plans to develop 1,000 to 1,200 residential units on land to be reclaimed from the sea. The 250-berth marina - a few hundred feet out from the existing promenade - would form the focal point of the development. The area to be reclaimed from the sea would be from Bray Head to the existing harbour wall, a distance of about one mile.
To complement the marina, there would be an indoor leisure/entertainment centre. According to the developers, the project would restore Bray's position as a seaside resort.
The cost of the project has been tentatively put at about £350 million, although it is not clear how these costings have been carried out. In engineering terms, the land reclamation would appear to be straightforward, with a timescale for the work of three years.
The project was presented to the members of Bray Urban Council recently and tourism interests in the town have given it a broad welcome.
A similar project planned for Greystones harbour, backed by the financier Mr Albert Gubay, came to nothing after locals objected to the level of housing said to be needed to make the project attractive to the developer.
The Greystones marina is, however, still an aspiration of the Wicklow County Development Plan and negotiations with other developers are continuing.
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