The process that led to An Bord Pleanála saying 'yes' to the Greystones harbour proposal lacked sustainability, fairness and openness, maintains Evelyn Cawley.
This project has attracted 9,000 objections (more than the number opposing the incinerator in Ringsend), making it one of the most controversial projects in the history of the State. A majority of Greystones voters supported general election candidates opposed to the project.
That this decision was published in August is a clear indication An Bord Pleanála is uncomfortable with the extent of local opposition and is acutely aware its decision is contrary to the expressed wish of the vast majority of the public.
The original project was clear. It was simply to build a working harbour and mitigate against the coastal erosion of Bray Head.
However, the public-private partnership (PPP) between Sispar and Wicklow County Council expanded the brief without prior, proper or fair public consultation to include a major residential development and a "world-class" marina, elements they said were needed to make the project economically viable.
After five days of an oral hearing in April 2006 and major submissions by the Greystones Protection and Development Association, residents of the area and the wider community it was very evident that this expanded proposal was flawed and did not have the community's support. As a result, An Bord Pleanála requested further information and a downsizing of the plan which resulted in the unusual step of reopening the oral hearing last April.
Local people were heartened, believing that having presented significant issues of public concern, including the precedent set by the use of the foreshore to bolster the development's economic viability, in addition to the strength of public opposition, there was enough evidence to prevent this large-scale overdevelopment of a fine Victorian area from going ahead.
The planning process was once again to fail democracy.
An Bord Pleanála's decision to allow this €300 million development attempts to give legal sanction to the concept of local authorities "gifting" parts of the foreshore (a public amenity) and indeed the surrounding seas to private consortia as part of a PPP.
This has implications for all coastal areas. At a minimum one would believe that the Minister for the Environment would safeguard the foreshore as a natural asset from development. This decision will lead to further development in the greater Dublin Bay area.
However, neither the previous nor the present minister has been inclined to take a stand. So do we really need a Department of the Environment if PPPs can ride roughshod over community interests?
The lack of sustainability inherent in this project is evident to anyone even vaguely familiar with Greystones. The town has already almost doubled in size without any significant improvement in road access in the last four years.
Traffic on its main street is congested and Dart services at peak times are oversubscribed. This is even before another 1,500 people and 1,000 car-parking spaces are added to the central area.
Clearly during the construction phase of this project, thousands of additional truck movements will materialise through the main street and other already congested residential areas in order to facilitate this inappropriate and oversized project, whose completion will remove one of the county's most attractive views and landmarks.
As a lesson in democracy, there is much to be learned from the close relationships that have developed between private developers and local authorities. No other community group in Ireland has gathered so much support in objecting to a development. The majority of local representatives on Wicklow County Council and Greystones Town Council voted in favour despite overwhelming public opposition.
This support, together with An Bord Pleanála's subtle coaching of the developers, puts a question mark over the fairness and openness of the process by which this decision has been reached. It is difficult to understand the pro-developer mentality that insists on vandalising the few remaining natural areas of beauty that have not yet been wantonly destroyed by needless overdevelopment.
The short-term financial gains in terms of development levies and other incomes which will accrue to Wicklow County Council from this project have taken precedence over the loss to the community and the environment.
Our legacy to the next generation will be much the poorer.
Evelyn Cawley is spokeswoman for the GPDA
An Bord Pleanála's recent go-ahead for the Greystones harbour marina and housing development will deliver a world-class facility, argues Sean Quirke.
Over the next few years the people of Greystones and north Wicklow will be able to enjoy a wide range of new amenities in the currently derelict harbour area, including a spectacular new public square, facilities for local sporting clubs, a new public beach and park, boardwalk, piers and better access to the cliff walk to Bray.
Throughout all the discussion and debate, there has been a general agreement from both sides that something needs to be done about the rundown and underused harbour. The scheme which will now be built was selected after a public procurement process where the emphasis was placed on the quality of architecture and public realm proposed.
The project is one of the most innovative and visionary projects undertaken by a local authority in this country which will see more than €50 million worth of public facilities provided as part of its €300 million cost. It is a public-private partnership between Wicklow County Council and Sispar, a joint venture company made up of John Sisk and Son Ltd and Park Developments.
The continued growth of the Greystones/Delgany area will see the population double between 2002 and 2016, bringing with it increased demands for access to high-quality amenity areas.
Taken together with the recently-opened Charlesland recreational complex and the swimming pool and community hall under construction, the harbour's redevelopment will ensure that the residents of Greystones will be able to avail of amenities unrivalled in most towns in Ireland.
The community club facilities provided as part of the project include those for the Sea Scouts and sailing, ridge angling, rowing and diving clubs. The 16-acre public park will add to the amenity value and act as a hugely improved gateway to the spectacular Greystones to Bray cliff walk.
The plans have had a long and thorough examination in the planning process at local and national level. In 2005, more than 1,000 people visited an exhibition of the plans when they were put on public display. Comments led to amendments to the development.
There were 10 days of oral hearings conducted over two sittings by an inspector of An Bord Pleanála when the arguments of those in favour of and opposed to the development were extensively articulated and supported by their documentary submissions.
Indeed, some of the points made by those opposed to the development at the first oral hearing seem to have subsequently made an impact with the board, which sought additional information from Sispar and the county council to reduce the residential and commercial component of the development and made a number of other significant changes. A major component of this was the construction of a dramatic new public square on the waterfront. The square, about the size of Smithfield in Dublin, will be a focal point for the town at the heart of the old harbour area.
This week's decision strikes a fair balance between both sides of the debate. Divergent views have been expressed but throughout it has had the support of eight of the nine members of Greystones Town Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Harbour Users Group.
The county council and Sispar have already set out the detailed local consultation measures they propose while the development is under way. These have been endorsed by one of the board's conditions, which states that before the development starts a local liaison committee should be set up to act as a forum for disseminating information on planning and construction work. The council and company will continue to work closely with local organisations, residents' groups and schools to ensure that inconvenience caused by construction work is minimised.
The board's approval set out conditions about road access to the site and traffic calming, reducing road traffic by bringing some materials in by sea and hours of operation on site. Work is expected to begin in the autumn and will be completed within four to five years.
Now it is time for all of us who have discussed this issue for the last four years to move forward together to ensure Greystones gets a world-class harbour and a range of resources for the community that will be the envy of the country.
Sean Quirkeis director of services with Wicklow County Council.