The Minister for the Marine has announced a new option for a disputed coastal protection scheme for Bray, Co Wicklow. The move is the fourth option to be mooted in a two-year period.
Stressing that the final decision rested with Bray Urban District Council, Dr Woods said this initiative would use a quarried granite rock instead of darker basalt rock and would incorporate a shallow sloped beach, making it suitable for bathers.
His interest in the scheme came as he had spent a considerable amount of his childhood in Bray, he said.
He said the promenade "is a unique asset that has provided pleasure to countless numbers of people over the last 100 years and continues to attract over a million people, particularly walking enthusiasts, every year".
Earlier this year, in a contentious move, Bray UDC voted by seven votes to five to proceed with a plan drawn up by the Department of the Marine.
This plan envisaged the provision of a rock groyne and a breakwater.
But the plan, which involved the extraction of over 200,000 tonnes of shingle from the Codling Bank, angered fishermen, who claimed it could wipe out fish nurseries.
It was also opposed by members of Bray Beach Watch who, along with the UDC, commissioned consultants Kirk McClure Morton to come up with an alternative plan involving less shingle and a rock revetment.
The Minister expressed an interest in a third option, which was, according to Bray Beach Watch, an amended version of the Kirk McClure Morton plan.
This option involved the topping off of the rock revetment for aesthetic and safety reasons.
Yesterday's announcement of a possible fourth option by the Minister is a further amendment of this plan, with a shallow sloping beach utilising a one-in-15 gradient, making it more accessible for bathers.
Giving a cautious welcome to the Minister's announcement, Cllr Anne Ferris (DL) said the Minister appeared to be taking on many of the concerns of the Bray Beach Watch group.
But she added: "Time is a crucial factor now, as we understand that work has to get under way before the winter.
"We had previously been worried that the money, in EU funding, could be lost if work did not begin immediately. But that worry has now given over to the more pressing concern that work may have to start this October, if the promenade is to survive another winter.
"I am not sure that the council debates and public consultation process on a new initiative would be completed in time for work to start," she added.
Bray Urban District council will meet tonight and the issue should come up in correspondence.