Cycle route could be part of old dump site
PROGRESS ON DESIGN ON COASTAL DEFENCE WORKS
A CYCLE and green route could be incorporated into coastal defence works at the site of the old dump on Bray’s north beach.
A detailed design for the coastal defence project is being progressed and involves engagement with various stakeholders, including Wicklow County Council. As part of this process, a suggestion to include a green route was put forward.
The site of the old dump has been eroding into the sea north of Bray harbour for many years. The majority of the site lies within the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown local authority area.
Last year, they passed a Part 8 planning application to carry out coastal defence mitigation measures to secure the site from further erosion.
A small piece of the site is located within the Bray Municipal District area, so the local authority has some involvement in the proposal. Other stakeholders in the process include affected landowners, a number of state agencies and various departments in Dun Laoghaire County Council.
‘During the Part 8 process, a request was submitted to include a cycle/green route incorporated into the coastal defence and this was responded to as being a possibility,’ said Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District, Cllr Steven Matthews.
‘I will liaise with my Green Party colleagues in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to see how best this can be included in the detailed design, with a view to connecting through to the harbour and seafront and also to the Dublin Road via the new schools on the former golf club lands,’ he said.
‘I have some concerns about construction traffic management if the harbour is to be the main access to the site during the construction stage,’ said Cllr Matthews. ‘ The procurement of a contractor to carry out the works will follow on completion of the detailed design and it’s likely that a suitable traffic management plan will be included at that point.’
It is envisaged that works will commence before the end of 2019 and construction works are expected to take around six months to complete.
The Department of Communications, Climate Change and Environment (DCCAE) has provisionally allocated €1.4 million to support the completion of the works, with the focus on the remediation of the old landfill site.
The overall project costs are estimated at just over €2 million, but this may change depending on the outcome of the construction procurement process.