UNTIL THE sun shines like it did yesterday, even Dubliners sometimes forget that the city wraps around the finest bay on the Irish Sea, with a topography to match Naples.
The bay has been much studied and surveyed, notably by Captain William Bligh, of Mutiny on the Bountyfame, in the late 18th century. Most recently, it was studied by Dublin City Council for a draft plan, which recommended, among many other things, that the port should be relocated and the 600 acres of land it occupies redeveloped for residential and commercial uses as a natural extension of the Docklands area.
The latest initiative, inaugurated by Minister for the Environment John Gormley, is a task force headed by the Dublin Regional Authority with a mandate to prepare a master plan that would offer a "sustainable vision" for the future of the entire bay, from Howth to Dalkey. Current uses are to be analysed, specifically including "the scope for expanding, reducing or removing the existing Dublin Port facilities over time". However, since the task force is required to take "full account" of a study of the port being prepared in parallel by the Department of Transport, it may be constrained in this regard by the conclusions of that study.
Another crucially important long-term issue is the potential impact of climate change on Dublin Bay, particularly if sea levels rise as predicted over the coming decades. The task force's terms of reference include an in-depth examination of likely storm surge flooding as well as consideration of the possible measures to mitigate such risks. These might involve building substantial breakwaters in the outer bay area with the aim of protecting low-lying areas of the city, including much of the city centre. In the meantime, anyone building near the shoreline would be well advised to raise the ground level.
Dublin Bay, as the Minister said, is "one of the greatest resources this city has". It is primarily a recreational resource for the capital's growing population, most obviously at this time of year when dozens of yachts can be seen in the waters off Dún Laoghaire. Effective coastal zone management is also needed as well as greater protection for the natural environment in all of its aspects. In this regard, Mr Gormley's recent decision to extend the special protection area for migratory birds, including that portion of the inner bay which the port is still seeking to infill, represents a shot across the bows - much in the way Captain Bligh himself would have known so well.