Bull Island embankment challenged

An Taisce has challenged plans by the Royal Dublin Golf Club to raise and extend the embankment along its north-west boundary on Bull Island in north Dublin Bay which it believes will disturb protected species and cause a deterioration in habitats.

In an 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 (EIA) and of the city archaeologist's report and does not "adequately address alternative, less damaging solutions to the flooding problem".

Describing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted by the applicant as "inadequate", An Taisce says it has insufficient information to assess the potential impacts on flora and fauna "of importing large amounts of glacial deposits naturally unknown on the island".

It 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.

An independent assessment carried out by Natura Environmental Consultants commissioned by Dublin City Council says that a statement in the EIS that "there are no new plants included in the Flora Protection Order 1999" is not justified by the information presented and says that four rare species were found on the site.

"The evaluation of this habitat in the EIS is given as not of high ecological value because of the habitat alteration and the presence of the golf course. The basis for this evaluation is not given," says the independent assessment.