Golf club wins planning battle

An Taisce has lost its bid to stop the Royal Dublin Golf Club raising and extending the embankment along its north-west boundary on Bull Island in north Dublin Bay.

An Taisce believes the works will disturb protected species and cause a deterioration in habitats. In its appeal to An Bord Pleanála, An Taisce says Dublin City Council's decision to grant permission for the works fails to take into proper account the concerns of an independent environmental impact assessment and of the city archaeologist's report, and does not "adequately address alternative, less damaging solutions to the flooding problem".

However, An Bord Pleanála has ruled that the development will "not seriously injure, the natural, cultural, visual amenities of the area, or of property in the vicinity". It stipulated in its conditions of planning permission, however, that the golf club must obtain a licence under Section 21 of the Wildlife Acts 1976-2000 and that construction of the embankment extension is limited to a three-month period.

The golf course originally constructed the embankment in the 1960s to protect the back nine holes of the course which are below spring tide level.

An Taisce contend the environmental impact statement submitted by the applicant is "inadequate", and says that it is unlikely that floral species will colonise the new embankment "and it is probable that invasive or weed species will colonise the new embankment".

It also deemed it "unlikely" that any existing ground nesting birds will adopt the glacial soils as a nesting area.