Sir, – Keep Ireland Open wish to express our total opposition to the development of a visitor centre at the Hellfire Club ("Visitor centre planned for Hellfire Club", March 22nd).
This absolutely outrageous scheme is costing €19 million and will desecrate this wonderful amenity area which attracts a large number of walkers and other recreational users over weekends and will threaten the integrity of this historic building. It will also seriously affect the nearby native woodland at Massy Woods. The proposal includes includes a shop, cafe and other visitor facilities right on top of Montpelier Hill and very close to the Hellfire Club.
We intend to fight this all the way to An Bord Pleanála and beyond. Hopefully it will turn this project down as they did for a similar proposal many years ago at Luggala, Co Wicklow.
Meanwhile we call on all concerned citizens to lobby politicians to put a stop to this madness. There must be better ways of spending €19 million! – Yours, etc,
ROGER GARLAND,
Chairman,
Keep Ireland Open,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – An exhibition space? A shop? A restaurant? A glass-fronted restaurant? A tree-top canopy bridge? All to go on top of dear old Mount Pelier?
This is a place of restorative calm, woodland pathways, mountain streams and muddy puddles, just now crowded with frogspawn. I have been getting away here from the built-up city every week, since I first came to live in Dublin in 1968. I am appalled that the council plans to “enhance” this landscape by the addition of built development. And at a cost of €19 million. Then it says it is unable to provide for urgently needed social housing. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL McCARTHY,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Has South Dublin County Council lost it completely? To think of spending €19 million on a visitor centre for the Dublin mountains is utter madness. The Dublin Mountains, a natural resource, are there for everybody to enjoy. Nobody needs a visitor centre to enjoy this wonderful amenity; in fact one would only take from the beautiful natural surroundings. If €19 million is available, it should be used for a useful and needed project. – Yours, etc,
CLAIRE REDMOND,
Dublin 14.