Fingal County Council urges caution following storm damage in Portrane

FINGAL County Council is urging members of the public to stay away from the old public toilets and anchor foundation stone in Portrane and to avoid the dunes on Burrow Beach following further coastal erosion in the area this week due to Storm Ellen.

Storm force winds and strong tidal surges undermined the ground around the disused toilets and foundation stone on which RMS Tayleur commemorative monument was located until it was moved to safer location.

Arrangements to secure the two sites are being made by the Council’s Operations Department and both structures will be removed as soon as possible.

Sections of the dunes along Burrow Beach were also eroded and are potentially unstable and at risk of collapse so members of the public are advised to stay away from them while visiting the beach. Warning signs outlining the danger are also being erected at the entrances to the beach.

Both the toilets and the dunes are considered to be dangerous in the context of the Sanitary Services Act.

Fingal County Council will continue to monitor the ongoing situation, as well as engaging with members of the Fingal Coastal Liaison group and local stakeholders in the area.

Serious coastal erosion problems have emerged at Burrow Beach in recent years and Fingal County Council is working in collaboration with relevant state agencies, including the Office of Public Works (OPW) and The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), to examine the options available to address the complex problem of coastal flooding and erosion in Portrane and Rush.

As an interim measure, over 800m of Seabee’ concrete units, designed to reduce and delay coastal erosion, have been installed in two phases along Burrow Beach until a feasible and effective long-term solution is implemented.

Expert engineers have prepared a plan outlining the options for addressing Coastal Flood Risk Management in the Rogerstown Estuary in response to the significant concerns regarding coastal erosion and coastal flooding in the Burrow Peninsula, Portrane and some of the coastal areas around Rush.

In recent weeks over 800 invitations have been issued to property owners in the Portrane and Rush area inviting them to presentations of the report which will commence in September in accordance with public health guidelines.