An Bord Pleanala has rejected planning permission for a jetty and ancillary buildings at the Murrough, a coastal strip two miles north of Wicklow town.
The development was proposed by Dan Morrissey Ireland Ltd which operates several quarries in counties Wicklow and Carlow. It was proposed to use the jetty to export stone aggregates and import sand.
More than 700 people objected to Wicklow County Council in 1998 when the application was lodged. Permission was granted later that year and was appealed by the conservation group Friends of the Murrough.
At an oral hearing in Wicklow earlier this year, Mr John Glynn of Clonmannon Lodge, Rathnew, said the Murrough was an unspoilt natural habitat which was home to a wide variety of flora and fauna.
According to Mr Glynn, a number of protected species such as otter and curlew lived there and migrating species such as the brent goose were regular visitors.
Yesterday Mr Glynn said the news of ala's the board's refusal, which was made last Friday, had just reached the Friends of the Murrough campaign and they were tremendously relieved by it.
The campaign said there were harbours in Wicklow and Arklow which could handle the import and export of aggregates and sand. The jetty at the Murrough would have been 400 metres long and would have been visible for miles. They also claimed the entrance from the local road was along an inadequate route - the former driveway of Clonmannon House and retirement village.
The oral hearing heard that Dan Morrissey Ireland had submitted an environmental impact assessment which indicated there would be little adverse impact. As it was proposed to serve the jetty by a rail link, the company argued there would be no disruption on local roads after the construction phase.
