Madam, - As boat-owners and regular users of the harbour and daily beach and coast walkers since moving to Greystones 15 years ago, we understand the need for major harbour improvements. As former residents of Dun Laoghaire and former regular users of that harbour (which occupies a major part of the local foreshore) for sailing and walking, we can see that a decent-sized harbour with accessible pier walks is as great an asset to non-sailors as to sailors.
The current harbour walls, built in 1897, never offered any protection from the north or north-west storms that resulted in so many disasters that insurance was refused to any coasters docking there since 1911. Virtually every year sailing club boats are damaged negotiating the harbour entrance or trying to launch and sailing has to be abandoned not because the state of the wind or sea is too bad outside but because of the dangers of the harbour.
Red herrings and exaggerated false claims are being propagated by an anti-development lobby which ignores the benefits of the proposed development scheme. A huge amount of site investigation and careful planning has gone into providing an excellent solution for the harbour and reducing the impact of the development necessary to fund it.
The good points of the proposed development far outweigh the negatives and it should be as strongly backed by the non-boating residents of our area as it is by the majority of harbour users. This is an opportunity to re-focus our town on the sea and make this backwater into a safe environment for boating and a centre of interest for all. - Yours, etc,
NORMAN and UNA LEE, The Burren, Greystones, Co Wicklow.