For families living along the edge of Burrow Beach in Portrane, the threat of the sea moving ever closer to their front doors has become a real and growing fear, but last week brought a significant moment of relief as funding was secured for emergency works designed to protect homes from further coastal erosion.
Funding has been secured for the installation of a Rock Armour Revetment at Burrow Beach to prevent further erosion of a section of coastline which is threatening homes in the area.
The project represents a critical step in protecting properties along one of the most vulnerable stretches of the peninsula, following recent storm damage that has highlighted the urgency of action.
The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD, and the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Kevin Boxer Moran TD, announced last week that €622,703 in funding will be provided by the Office of Public Works towards the €700,000 cost of the emergency works.
The funding will support the installation of rock armour along the most at risk section of the coastline, with approximately 300 metres at the southern end of The Burrow Beach identified as particularly vulnerable.
The revetment will act as a protective barrier, helping to slow and reduce the effects of ongoing erosion in an area where homes have come under in-creasing threat.
inister Kevin Boxer Moran pictured during his recent visit to Portane
The announcement came as ministers visited Portrane alongside the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary, local councillors, the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly, and officials from both the Council and the OPW.
The visit followed damage to the coastline caused by Storm Chandra last week, with the emergency works designed to pro-vide immediate protection while longer term plans continue to progress.
Cllr Tom O’Leary said the funding would offer reassurance to residents whose homes are most exposed.
“I am delighted that the Ministers have agreed to provide funding through the OPW towards the €700,000 cost of emergency works at the Burrow,” he said.
“This will hopefully provide further protection for the homes that are under threat until the permanent solution can be constructed.”
The emergency intervention is intended as an interim measure, buying time while Fingal County Council continues to develop and seek approval for a comprehensive long term strategy to tackle coastal erosion at Portrane.
Minister Darragh O’Brien described the project as a significant development for the area and emphasised the role the rock armour will play in protecting properties in the immediate term.
“It is a really significant announcement,” he said. “It’s about €700,000 of works between Fingal County Council and the OPW to put permanent rock armour here to protect the homes that are most at risk here in the Burrow.
“These intermediate works will take place in advance of the permanent works where Fingal are submitting an application to An Coimisiún Pleanála for the permanent measures which are the sea groynes that are going in here in Portrane and will bring about a permanent solution to the coastal erosion threat.”
Minister Kevin Boxer Moran said the works would focus on a defined stretch of coastline where homes are directly exposed.
“There’s eight homes affected here along 300m of coastline so rock armour is going in here to create a wall and that is going to protect those people,” he said.
The decision to move ahead with the emergency works follows consultation between Fingal County Council, the OPW and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with specialist advice provided by the Council’s consultants Tetra Tech RPS.
The area identified for the installation of the rock armour has been recognised as the most vulnerable section of coastline on the peninsula. While measures have previously been taken to slow the pace of erosion, recent storms have reinforced the need for additional protection.
The Council previously installed 1km of concrete SeaBees along the coastline.
“These have significantly slowed down the rate of erosion, but the impact of recent severe weather events has shown that further steps are needed to safeguard the most exposed homes.
While the emergency works will provide immediate protection, attention is also focused on the longer term future of the coastline.
A permanent solution for the protection of The Burrow is moving closer, with Fingal County Council set to submit the Burrow Coastal Flooding and Erosion Risk Management Plan to An Coimisiún Pleanála for approval.
The plan has already been the subject of significant analysis and local consultation, and the Council has received approval for it from the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority.
The next stage will involve the planning application being formally assessed, a process that could determine the shape of coastal protection in the area for decades to come.
If approval is granted, the Council will then apply for funding from the OPW and proceed to the procurement phase of the works.
The proposed project is extensive in scale and would include the construction of seven 70m long sea facing fishtail groynes along a 1.3km stretch of coastline.
The overall scheme is expected to cost up to €30 million and would represent one of the most significant coastal protection projects ever undertaken in the country.
The Council will brief the Fingal Coastal Liaison Group on its application to An Coimisiún Pleanála as part of the ongoing process, keeping local stakeholders informed as plans progress.
AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, said the move towards a permanent solution marks the culmination of years of work and collaboration.
“We are working very closely with the OPW to provide solutions to the coastal erosion is-sues at Portrane,” she said.
“This week’s lodgement of the application for a permanent solution represents the culmination of several years of work by our own staff, our consultants, the OPW, local councillors and the Fingal Coastal Liaison Group.
“Once we receive approval from An Coimisiún Pleanála we will move quickly to secure funding and commence con-struction of a coastal protection scheme that will be the first of its kind in Ireland.”