Madam, - The sale of Abbeville House and its surrounding lands for a reported €45 million with the avowed aim of large-scale housing development is an final act of betrayal to the people of Fingal and Dublin as a whole.
Abbeville and its lands form a "green lung" which has been farmed organically by the Haughey family and which has been zoned for leisure use by the county council. They are an essential part of the green belt and help to define Malahide as a separate unit within Fingal. Many assurances have been given that it would remain in its present state.
The nature of the sale suggests that the Haugheys have been simply playing with caring for the environment. The sale will lead inevitably to pressure being put on the council by the builders who have invested so much money in the site to rezone the land. The benefits of organic farming, including the abundant plant variety and wildlife, could be lost for ever as the lands disappear under concrete and the area is swamped by traffic.
While I have no objection to Abbeville itself being used as a hotel or restaurant, ideally the lands should be preserved as a training centre for organic practices, easily linked to the Agricultural Institute which lies just across the road in Kinsealy, and shared with the public as a place almost in the heart of Dublin where the public could be educated on the benefits of sustainable use of Ireland's valuable land resources and environment. - Yours, etc.,
NORMAN E. GAMBLE, The Rectory, Malahide, Co Dubin.