Sir, – I do hope that Dublin City Council never gets the contract to build the wall around Mexico. Can you imagine how much it would cost them to lower it? – Yours, etc,
JAMES MILLIKEN,
Fairview,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – If road users want to admire the sea view, they should travel on the top deck of a bus. This would have the added advantage that climbing the stairs of the bus would do wonders for their leg muscles. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BURKE,
Malahide,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – The money now being mentioned regarding lowering the Clontarf sea wall was in part already allocated in last year’s scheme.
We as Northsiders are privileged to have a Unesco biosphere reserve on our doorstep. This reserve is not the preserve of those fortunate to live close to it.
It is and should be looked on as a national treasure contributing to a greener and cleaner city.
This reserve is unique in that it is in a capital city and is one of only two such reserves in Ireland. There are 651 Unesco reserves worldwide in 120 countries.
North Bull Island was designated a Unesco biosphere reserve in 1981 because of its rare and internationally important habitats and wildlife. The extension to Dublin Bay in 2015 reflects the bay’s environmental cultural and tourism significance.
Our reserve supports a wide variety of plants and wildlife, including our visiting Brent geese overwintering on the North Bull Island. It has also some of the finest sand dunes in Ireland.
So let us all move on, be thankful that an agreement has been finally signed off and look forward to the completion of the Sutton to Sandycove cycleway and footway interim works. – Yours, etc,
ANGELA O’DOHERTY
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – I recently voted to reduce the height of the “sea wall” at St Anne’s Park, following an agreement between community groups in the Clontarf, Raheny area and Dublin City Council (DCC).
It has been overlooked that it was in fact DCC’s assistant city manager who proposed the 30cm reduction in the sea wall height on foot of a report by an independent flood expert, Dr Jimmy Murphy of UCC, who was engaged by the council. The expert report was presented at a meeting on February 26th, 2016, and it is minuted that the assistant city manager stated that “if DCC don’t listen to and act on the best expert technical advice available, DCC are left totally exposed”.
Subsequently, on March 16th, 2016, this same assistant city manager emailed city councillors and community representatives and proposed the 30cm wall height reduction based on the expert report.
It is bizarre that DCC would engage Ireland’s leading sea flood defence expert, propose a 30cm wall height reduction, apply for planning permission, and then do an about-turn and question what it called “the best expert technical advice available”. – Yours, etc,
Cllr DAMIAN O’FARRELL,
Independent,
City Hall,
Dame Street,
Dublin 2.