Section of sand dunes at Strandhill eroded by last year's storms

SEVERE STORMS in November and December last year eroded about 500 metres of a section of sand dunes at Strandhill, Co Sligo, according to a consultants’ report. It has recommended the provision of a ramp structure costing almost €300,000 to protect the dunes.

Specialist consultants RPS was commissioned by Sligo County Council after concern about the erosion of Strandhill’s extensive dune system. Local people say the golf course and village car park, as well as the beach, are threatened.

Fianna Fáil Senator Marc MacSharry, who has described Strandhill as one of the major surfing centres on the Atlantic coast, has urged the Government to move quickly to ensure the recommended remedial work was put in place. He said the coastal erosion was “an unfolding disaster” which threatened the beach, the Shelly Valley and Strandhill Golf Club.

Minister of State for the OPW Brian Hayes is to visit Strandhill on April 24th to inspect the scene where a popular walkway was almost washed away last year.

In its report, RPS found that the four severe storms “more akin to winter weather” in May last year marked by a combination of high- speed winds and large offshore waves had caused extensive damage.

The beach drawdown in May was so severe that peat and rock beneath the beach was exposed for the first time in 30 years.

It said consideration had been given to the feasibility of protecting the dunes from wave erosion by reinforcing the existing storm beach to prevent it becoming drawn down by extreme events.

“However, at a cost of approximately €1,700 per metre length of dune, such work cannot be justified on either financial or environmental grounds and is not recommended,” they said.

They recommended planting marram on the exposed faces of the dunes to stabilise the sand.

Local Fine Gael TD Tony McLoughlin said an allocation of almost €48,000 had been made for capital works at Strandhill late last year. He was confident that progress would be made when the Minister visited Strandhill.