Following a recent packed public meeting in Greystones about the proposed harbour development, Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, claims that public opposition to the proposed development is growing. “Many people in the town were only vaguely aware of what was being proposed for the harbour development until lately” says de Burca. “However, the activities of the local campaign group, the Greystones Protection and Development Association, and greater media coverage have meant that residents of the town are becoming much more aware of the huge and ultra-modern development proposed for the harbour area. It is becoming increasingly clear that the harbour development plans of the Public Private Partnership involving Wicklow County Council and Sispar do not have the public support they require”.

De Burca who spoke passionately at the public meeting about the public’s right to have a say in how their harbour is developed believes that the key question is how the town’s attractive but dilapidated Victorian harbour and grey stony beach should develop. “Residents of the town differ over the question of whether the ultra-modern apartment complex, related commercial development, large marina, and artificial beach will represent a positive transformation of what is currently a valued, and largely unspoilt, public amenity” says de Burca.

“Many residents who have lived in Greystones for any period of time and who have used its marvellous beach have formed a deep attachment to this stretch of the coastline and don’t wish to see it significantly altered in any way” she says. “Others feel frustrated with the run-down appearance of the harbour and want to see modern facilities being provided for the area, even if these must be funded by the development of a significant number of apartments. There is nothing unusual about this. Different public opinions of how our coastline, and our country, could develop should all feed into our planning process”.

The Green Party councillor believes that this is why public consultation processes are so important. She says that any real public consultation that has occurred with regard to the proposed development of Greystones Harbour has taken place just before the submission of planning documents to an Bord Pleanala by Wicklow County Council and the private consortium, Sispar. “In fact, one could argue that this amounted to a “presentation” of the proposed plan rather than any real “consultation” on how the people of Greystones would wish to see the harbour area develop into the future” says de Burca. “Many residents feel understandably annoyed”.

The Green Party has proposed that where local authorities are considering significant development of sensitive areas of public amenity, full public involvement in the earliest stages of planning should occur. “In the case of the development of the Greystones Harbour, there is no good reason why a town-wide plebiscite or ballot could not have occurred at a certain stage of the planning process where local residents could have given their verdict on whether they wished to see the harbour developed in the manner that has been proposed” says de Burca.

“Unfortunately no attempt has been made by Wicklow County Council to give the people of Greystones a say in how their harbour area is to be developed” says de Burca. “Rather, the residents of the town have been presented with what is effectively “a done deal” in terms of a plan for its development. If an Bord Pleanala gives a green light to the plan, the residents of Greystones will have to live with the loss of the current harbour and the large-scale and extremely modern development of their harbour, whether or not they support it”.

The Green Party believes that we need to revisit our planning processes and to build real public participation into any large-scale development plans for public amenity areas. “This is essential if we want to avoid such projects becoming captured and controlled by narrow development interests” says de Burca.

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Press Release by Deirdre