Glen of the Downs activists back in court today

Activists from the save the trees protest are due in the High Court again today, when their dispute with Wicklow County Council comes up for mention.

The vigil-keepers, as they like to be known, have been camping in the Glen of the Downs since May 1997 in protest at Wicklow County Council's plans for an £18.5 million road-widening scheme between Kilmacanogue and the southern end of the glen.

The council admits some 1,700 trees will be cut down to facilitate the dual carriageway, but insists more trees will be planted as a result of the road widening scheme which it says is necessary to ease heavy traffic congestion in the area.

In January of this year, the council sent in workers to clear the trees, leading to confrontations with the vigil-keepers and the Gardai.

Following a petition to the High Court for a judicial review of the council's road-widening plans, the council gave undertakings it would not attempt to fell any more trees, pending the review, while the vigil-keepers gave undertakings to restrict the numbers at their camp and not to further trespass on council land in the glen.

Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, the vigil-keepers said whatever the outcome of today's court hearing, they were determined to continue to oppose the tree-felling.

"If the case goes against us, the road will eventually be built because we are up against the might of the State. But we will put into action our primary plan, which is to impede the work for as long as possible," said a female campaigner who preferred not to be named.

However, the vigil-keepers maintained the county council and opponents of the camp have missed the focus of their protest.

A spokeswoman said the recent controversies over development in north Wicklow were "only another aspect of the main picture that there is a problem in Wicklow which is one of mega planning chaos".

"We have to start thinking in third millennium terms of planning infrastructure for our modern economy . . . we have got to have a vision of how we can develop infrastructure which is conducive to sustainability.

"The road has a design life. Is it 2006, or 2016? What do we do when it is full again? They don't know because they won't have addressed the core issue. What we are saying as environmentalists is for God's sake address the main issue."