Dalkey locals encouraged to object to Bulloch Harbour plans

Locals opposed to the building of a residential and retail development in Dalkey’s Bulloch Harbour have been encouraged to lodge planning objections before the January 19th deadline.

More than 100 people attended a meeting in the Royal Marine Hotel in Dún Laoghaire on Saturday regarding the plans. They heard the potential grounds of appeal that campaigners hope will be successful in blocking the proposals.

The proposed development by Bartra Capital Ltd consists of seven ground-floor commercial units fronting onto the harbour itself, with six three-storey terraced dwellings and a further three houses nearby.

Locals have dubbed it a ‘Costa del Sol’ style proposal which they say would significantly impede sea views from the quay and would restrict access to rocks on the foreshore which are currently accessible to the public.

In her presentation, Susan McDonnell of the Bulloch Harbour Preservation Association raised concerns that so-called overtopping from large waves during winter storms could pose a flood risk for new properties.

If this were to happen further down the line, it could cause a risk that homeowners in the entire Bulloch Harbour area would encounter difficulty in getting insurance coverage for flooding, she said.

Campaigners distributed a list of potential grounds of appeal to those present at the meeting which cited increased traffic flow and related hazards, restricted access to public amenities, blockage of views, excessive scale of development and inadequate parking among others.

“Bulloch Harbour is a strong amenity area for local residents, visitors and tourists,” it read.

“The proposed development has the potential to injure the amenity value for sailing, swimming, scuba diving, wind and kite-surfing, bird watching, walkers and regular recreation users. It would restrict both current and future uses of the harbour and the surrounding area,” it added.

Speakers including Des Burke Kennedy of Dalkey Tidy Towns gave a read-through of the history of the site dating back to the establishment of Bulloch Castle in 1180, and said the harbour served as a point of departure for some of the Wild Geese in around 1700.

The meeting was also attended by People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd-Barrett and a number of the party's councillors, as well as singer-songwriter Christy Moore who lives in the area.