Dublin Bay Watch - View on Sea Wall

We thought you may be interested in an official email which was sent by Justin O'Flaherty of The Dublin Bay Watch to our Elected Representatives. The following text perfectly sums up Dublin Bay Watch's views on the current situation with the 'Sea Wall'

"Hello there. I am sending this mail to all the addresses listed above
regarding the construction of the sea wall.

Firstly, I am aware that there was a debate concerning the sea wall as
a flood defence system. The proposed size of the wall evades me but i
cannot remember it been agreed to be this high. In any event flooding
issues were around Clontarf baths and further up near the Alfie Byrne
Road. Certainly not in the area where the wall is currently under
construction.

May i remind you all that the site in question is a national biosphere
and must be protected. We should all be able to view this national
treasure on a daily basis as we walk / drive abreast the site.

Also the construction of the wall opposite St Anne's park is a
complete waste of money for the following reasons.

1. There is rarely, if ever flooding in the area in question. It there
was where is the flooding damage to occur? - St Anne's Park?!!

2. North Bull island is expanding at a rapid rate. The only entry /
exit of tidal flow is at the end of the island at the Sutton end and
this channel is rapidly shrinking. The natural flow from the Bull Wall
end was closed off by the authorities c40 years ago by means of
pouring concrete in the middle of the estuary. The Tolka estuary used
to actually flow down by the sea wall and out the far end at Sutton,
thus preserving the area in question as a natural wetland. Only in
Ireland would this happen. This was despite the opposition of local
residents including the great Sean Loftus (R.I.P.)

The North Bull Island Nature Reserve was designated a bird sanctuary
in the 1930’s. It was designated a National Nature Reserve in 1988. It
is also listed as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. Furthermore, is the
only one in the world that exists in a capital city. It is of European
Union importance, and part of the Natura 2000 Network as both a
Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive and a Special
Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive. It is also a
National Special Amenity Area since 1995, one of 3 in the Republic of
Ireland. This recognises both its outstanding beauty and nature
conservation values. Furthermore it is a tourist attraction. We are
destroying this primarily because of the construction of the causeway
years ago and now the powers that be are closing it off from view,
with is a complete outrage. Would a bridge not be a better and more
imaginative way of accessing to the island.

We need the authorities to implement the following with immediate effect.

1. Cease the construction of the wall or reduce the size of to a
realistic level. It is a complete waste of tax payers money and serves
no purpose whatsoever.

2. Put in place a funding program to arrange dredging at the Sutton
end of the island on a periodical basis to preserve the site in
question as an island. If we do not do this and quickly we will have
no water, no wild birds and therefore no National Biosphere. In short
it will become waste land, allowing for housing in the years to come.
The coming generations will not thank us if we fail to act now. This I
feel, would be tax payers money well spent.

My colleagues and I in Dublin Bay Watch have played our part in the
development of the area by defeating the outrageous proposals of
Dublin Port to infill the inner part of Dublin Bay (yet another ill
conceived proposal). We only succeeded in doing this by bringing
Ireland to The European Court of Justice in The Hague. This was
because we felt we had no chance of success objecting in the land of
"the nod and the wink".

Can we not do something right on our own for a change.

I truly despair.

Justin O'Flaherty