Greystones marina plan 'substantially decided'

The backers of a €300 million marina and housing development planned for Greystones Harbour, Co Wicklow, yesterday said the debate over the scheme had essentially been won three years ago, when the County Development Plan was amended to provide for the scheme.

Terry Durney of town planners MacCabe Durney said the future of the development, which includes 375 new homes, shops, a pub, a creche, a boat yard and a new harbour, as well as new clubhouse facilities for existing harbour users, has already been substantially decided.

Mr Durney said all that was really left was "to query details of the proposed development" and that the County Development Plan amendment had already provided for the site to be used for such a scheme.

The amendment had also provided for the scale and size of the development, he maintained.

Mr Durney said that the planning authority, Wicklow County Council, which is a partner with John Sisk and Park Developments in the consortium proposing the scheme, Sispar, "accepted that the proposed development represents the best proposal it has received and has already stated that it finds it fully compliant".

Summarising the developers' case for the project, Mr Durney said apart from the County Development Plan, the proposed redevelopment satisfied seven tests for sustainable planning as defined by the National Spatial Strategy.

These included capacity in local schools and other community oriented facilities such as churches and community halls.

The tests also revealed ample public transport, a commercial element to boost employment and a "character" architectural element which would reinforce Greystones as a town with a variety of visual experiences.

Mr Durney told An Bord Pleanála planning inspector James Carroll that a 400m (1,300 ft) boardwalk which the developers had said would be a prominent public amenity in the development, could be used for vehicular access in winter in a bid to "animate" the area. In summer the boardwalk should be wholly pedestrianised.

In this Mr Durney appeared to disagree with project architect John O'Mahony of O'Mahony Pike Architects, who had earlier told the inspector that the only vehicles using the boardwalk would be emergency vehicles.

As the council finished its evidence yesterday, opponents outlined their opposition, which they said was based on the size and scale of the development and disruption caused by construction.

Rory Fallon, a chemist and local shop owner, said there were large difficulties with the local road network, which could not handle the construction or permanent traffic generated by the scheme. There were serious health problems associated with proposals to manufacture cement on site.

Joe Carty of the Harbour Residents Association said the development was out of scale and enjoyed little support locally.

The hearing continues today.