Local residents have staged a protest to mark the closure of Dún Laoghaire golf club, which is the subject of major development plans.
About two dozen residents made their views known outside the entrance to the golf club on Saturday afternoon in advance of a party held in the grounds on Saturday night.
The club is due to move to a new 27-acre course at Ballyman Glen near Enniskerry today in a deal which saw the 78-acre site in Dún Laoghaire sold to the property developers Cosgrave Brothers in return for a new golf course and a sum of about €20 million.
An application for planning permission for the southern portion of the golf club site has already been lodged with Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council. It involves the building of 856 homes. In total, the development will have about 1,700 homes. There are also plans for a convenience store, café, creche and a 5.5-acre park.
The land in question was controversially rezoned in 2004 after the then minister for the environment, Martin Cullen, used his powers under the 2000 Planning Act to issue a statutory directive to the council to rezone more land in the area to provide extra housing.
Members of Combined Residents to Save Open Space (CRSOS), which represents 43 local residents' associations, say that they no longer want the entire site rezoned for open space. However, they say that the level of development involved is unsustainable at present.
CRSOS chairwoman Gene Feighery commented: "We want a proper development where there is a certain amount of designated open space and community facilities."
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