A group which is opposing a €300 million marina and housing development planned for Greystones harbour in Co Wicklow is to endorse an independent candidate in the Wicklow constituency at the next general election. Ruadhán Mac Cormaicreports
In an advertisement in today's Irish Times, the Greystones Protection and Development Association (GPDA) states that it will endorse a candidate "who will better represent the views of the people of Wicklow in relation to physical, social and community planning in the county".
Spokeswoman Evelyn Cawley said that there was an unprecedented level of local support for the GPDA's campaign, as indicated by the 6,000 objections An Bord Pleanála received to the proposal. She said that a candidate who could harness that support would have a strong chance in the election. "Six thousand objectors is huge. An Bord Pleanála would tell you that that figure is greater than the number of objections received against the proposed incinerator in Ringsend," Ms Cawley commented.
She said that there was "overwhelming support" for "proper development" of the marina. "But [ the proposed development] is not what is appropriate, it's what the councillors and the developers want."
The council plans to rebuild the Victorian harbour, incorporating a 230-berth marina, a public park and new facilities for rowing, sailing and angling clubs, as well as coastal erosion works.
It has formed a public/private partnership with engineering company John Sisk and property developer Park Developments - known as the Sispar consortium - to carry out the work, which is expected to take four years.
In return for the public facilities, the council plans to transfer the foreshore and some 37 acres of property currently in private hands to Sispar, which will develop 6,000 sq metres (19,685 sq ft) of retail units and 375 new homes, which would rise four storeys above the water level.
In its advertisement, the GPDA seeks support "from individuals and communities who feel dissatisfied with the developer-led planning agenda, with its damaging social consequences."
Ms Cawley said that the controversy over the proposed development reflected wider concerns in the county that the demands of developers were being given precedence over communities' needs. New houses were being built without plans for adequate public transport or other facilities.
"The 'Garden of Ireland' is being turned into a concrete jungle. It is development-driven planning," she said. "This is where there is a lack of leadership and vision."
There is speculation that Ms Cawley, a former Wicklow councillor, will be the candidate the GPDA endorses, but she said that the identity of the candidate would not be made known until next week. A GPDA source said that it would be asking all election candidates in Wicklow to oppose the development.