Calls for comprehensive coastal committee for north Dublin

Gary Ibbotson 03 Feb 2021

Fingal County Councillors are seeking to establish a coastal committee which would deal with all issues surrounding coastal erosion, beach facilities and usage and potential tourism-based amenities.

The idea has been proposed by Independent councillor Cathal Boland who says that coastal issues “concern all local electoral areas that have a shoreline.”

Boland says that there are “major erosion problems on Portrane Beach and at the south beach at Rush.

“There are many concerns about facilities at Fingal beaches and there are massive potential tourism opportunities at our shores, too.

“These issues overlap,” he says.

Coastal erosion at Portrane has been a significant issue for Fingal County Council over the past few years with the local authority heavily investing in emergency works, such as the introduction of Seabees, to impede further erosion.

Earlier this year, sea swimmers have called on the council to develop more facilities at beaches due to the uptick in popularity at bathing spots.

Boland also says that harbours, such as the one at Loughshinny, have great “tourism potential.”

Fianna Fail councillor Brian Dennehy, who is endorsing the establishment of the committee, says that accretion – the gradual accumulation of debris and sand is also causing problems.

Dennehy says that the Brook stream is depositing materials onto the north beach at Rush which is causing overgrowth and an accumulation of pollutants.

Dennehy says that many local residents who live close to the beach have contacted him about the issue.

Boland says that a localised version of the national coastal committee is needed for Fingal where “all elective members would work together.”

He says that at the moment, communication between various coastal environmental groups is severely lacking and that a dedicated committee would be benefit to all stakeholders.

“We’ve had problems where groups working on erosion etc. are not reaching out to other groups about what the problems are and what’s being done.

“There are no communication lines,” he says.

Boland says that the committee should be made up of 10 councillors – at least one from each local electoral area with a coastline – and five other people who have expertise in coastal matters.

Boland says that he expects the motion to be heard at a county council meeting sometime this year.

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