About half of the lands at Bellevue estate and Glen o’ the Downs in Co Wicklow, which locals and national environmental groups want brought into public ownership, were previously sold by Coillte, the State forestry company, it has emerged.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has been asked to intervene in the sale of nearly 80 hectare (197 acres), which includes about 40ha of forestry at the Glen o’ the Downs, to ensure the lands are brought into State ownership.
However, it has emerged that almost half of the lands now offered for sale, some 40ha (about 100 acres) of forestry were formerly in State ownership though Coillte, which sold the land to a private buyer, some 24 years ago.
Responding to questions from The Irish Times, Coillte acknowledged previous ownership of the woodland but declined to comment on the financial aspects of the sale.
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In a statement, Coillte said: “In 2000, Coillte sold c 40ha of forested lands at Bellevue Delgany to facilitate the development of a golf course, which was supported at the time by the local community. Coillte cannot comment on the specifics of that sale due to commercial sensitivity. All sales and acquisitions are considered on a case-by-case basis, with value for money a fundamental consideration.”
The golf course was never developed.
The statement continued: “Coillte buys and sells land for a range of reasons including the expansion of our forests, facilitation of our neighbours, local communities, schools and businesses and to support strategic national objectives such as tourism, regional development, renewable energy and other infrastructure projects.”
[ State urged to intervene in sale of woodland beside Glen of the Downs in WicklowOpens in new window ]
Irish Environmental Network members An Taisce, the Irish Wildlife Trust, the Native Woodland Trust and local group Rewild Wicklow said that the sale of lands “presents a unique opportunity for the State to more than double the size of this ancient oak woodland and connect it with Kindlestown Woods”.
Last week, Wicklow Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore presented a petition of some 5,000 signatures to the Taoiseach who is her constituency colleague, calling for the land to be acquired.
Ms Whitmore said the main route from the car park at the Glen o’ the Downs to the folly known as the Octogon at the top of the glen, passed through the woods that had been sold. She said these woods also came within 50m of the Octogon itself and many people would not have been aware that they were now private property.
Ms Whitmore, the environmental NGOs and concerned locals claim the current sale represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to link the nature reserve in the Glen o’ the Downs with the nearby, publicly owned Kindlestown Hill.
She said the State was facing an €8 billion fine by the EU in 2030 if it failed to reach climate and nature restoration targets, so buying the entire parcel of land to link Kindlestown Hill with the Glen o’ the Downs “would make sense”.
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