5,500 submissions on Greystones marina

Some 5,500 submissions in relation to a proposed €300 million marina development for Greystones harbour were received by An Bord Pleanála by yesterday's deadline.

The controversial plan has been proposed by Wicklow County Council and its privatesector partner, Sispar consortium.

The development includes provision for a new coastguard station, a new beach area, a public boardwalk and 6,400 square metres of commercial, mainly marine-related, units. Also planned is a 15-acre park and a 230-berth marina with a public slipway.

In return for the refurbishment of the granite pier harbour, which dates from the late 1800s, and the provision of the new facilities, the consortium plans to build 375 apartments.

An Bord Pleanála is expected to begin an oral hearing into the scheme next month. Subject to approval from the board and confirmation of compulsory purchase orders for land adjacent to the foreshore, work on the development could begin as early as this summer.

As with the Dún Laoghaire baths redevelopment controversy last year, much of the opposition to the project focuses on the private apartments aspect of the development, specifically its height and scale.

Opponents also claim that the three-year construction period would be hugely disruptive, with construction vehicles having constricted access to the site under a railway bridge at the harbour and over a bridge at Trafalgar Road.

A spokesman for Wicklow County Council said that many of the submissions had come from outside Greystones and a substantial number were copies of a similar standard letter. "It is not about who objected but about the issues raised in the submissions," the spokesman said.

"There is a recurring theme, and we will be addressing that and other issues at the oral hearing. We will be available at the oral hearing to answer any questions in relation to the Environmental Impact Statement and the development."

The spokesman said that Bord Pleanála could ask the council for further information on the project, which could delay the holding of the oral hearing.