Madam, - In its defence of the controversial so-called redevelopment of Greystones harbour, Wicklow County Council trots out the usual hyperbolic clichés about "world-class" facilities and a "rejuvenated" harbour ( The Irish Times, August 10th).
In reality, this is a monstrosity, a proverbial blot on the landscape, totally out of keeping with the essential low-rise character of Greystones village. It will obscure irreparably the view of the sweep of coastline from Greystones north to Bray Head.Adding insult to injury, part of the land being used for this exploitation is public foreshore. This is an unsettling precedent.
However, those swashbuckling "developers" merrily carving up the Irish countryside care little for such sentimental twaddle. "Progress" and "development" are the swashbucklers' watchwords and those Luddites opposing their vision of this country face accusations of wanting to "live in the past" and not being prepared to "move with the times".
Those of us who believe our countryside should be treated sympathetically and with respect, rather than being ravaged by greedy speculators, appear to be forever fighting a rearguard action.
No sooner had the proposal to "develop" Dún Laoghaire public baths disappeared (for the time being at least) than this project got the green light. And a similar threat lingers over the baths at Blackrock.
The coast, as well as the countryside, is now up for grabs as a golden circle of politically connected developers continues to carve up our green, and increasingly less than pleasant, land for their ends, under the convenient and risible guise of the public good. - Yours, etc,
DAVID MARLBOROUGH,
Kenilworth Park,
Dublin 6W.