A race against time to fight coastal erosion at local beach

Orla O’Driscoll 

PORTRANE exudes a sense of old-fashioned welcome, a seaside town with a tight knit community and a friendly wave for all.

The local shop displays childhood delight, with bright buckets and spades and beach balls, promising hours of sandy fun.

However, locals fear the extent of the coastal erosion, which poses an immediate risk to many homes, could extend so infinitely that the beach may become a thing of the past. 

Local councillor Paul Mulville (Ind) said things are getting progressively worse.

“One house was condemned recently by the council as the erosion of the sand banks was putting the foundations of the house itself at risk,” he told Northside People.

“Gardens have been slashed in size, and trees are just toppling down onto the beach regularly.”

In some places it seems one stormy, or harsh windy night, could allow the sea claim substantial chunks of land. 

Stephen Kao, is originally from Malaysia, but has lived in Portrane for 41 years. He said he has raised concerns with Fingal County Council for at least 15 years.

“The response is always the same,” he said. “It is always another report, another expert to be consulted. And yet the damage continues every year.”

Liam Grogan said that Fingal Country Council has indicated that it has no remit to protect private property, even though many homes have lost gardens. 

“Fingal say they are obligated only to protect the road and alleviate flooding,” he said. “This is due to an EU protection order which designates the beach as a habitat to wildlife, and Fingal say their hands are tied.”

Kao, however, pointed out that so much of the dunes are now obliterated, that any wildlife under the protection order, no longer have a habitat to occupy.

A voluntary initiative by members of the local community to hinder the devastating erosion by placing sandbags along the area the dunes once occupied, has failed. The bags are now crumpled citadels, scarring the beach like a blight. 

Speculation on the cause of the erosion is rife, but one local group points to razor clam fishing as a cause.

In a letter to the minister for agriculture and marine, the group, led by Liam Grogan, asked for a total ban on razor clam dredgers from the waters around the Fingal coast.

The letter states: “In our opinion, this is not a simple effect of global warming or the natural ebb and flow of a sand dune eco system, more than ever we are convinced of a connection between our problem and the increased and sustained razor clam dredging activity in our bay.”

In a statement the council said: “Fingal County Council is leading the State’s response to the coastal erosion risks within its functional area. “On June 1, 2018, Fingal County Council met with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) with a view to providing an update on the current situation at Portrane and the management measures being proposed.”

The council added that with the assistance of the OPW and the NPWS, it is committed to developing a long-term and sustainable solution to the issue of coastal erosion at Portrane and the local community will be kept updated on progress in this regard.  

Locals, however, said the time for talking and planning has passed, that action needs to happen now, or more people will lose their homes. 

Cllr Mulville said a steel barrier on the beach built in the 1950s has become exposed in recent years.

“The dunes used to sit well ahead of it, but they are gone,” he said. Anxiety touches all residents.

Kao said: “The sea chopping at the ground, means the beach becomes flatter, so the sea comes in at a more ferocious pace. 

“The experts say this is a once in 50, or 100 years’ occurrence. 

“But this has been happening every year for the last 15 years.”