Madam, - Your Environment Editor, Frank McDonald, (speaking on The Right Hook programme on Newstalk Radio on May 17th) described as "knee-jerk, reactionary" and "simplistic" our objections to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's proposal to build a six to 10-storey edifice containing at least 180 apartments, shops and restaurants on five acres of Scotsman's Bay.
To a certain extent Mr McDonald, who wrote a detailed if one-sided article in your Property Supplement on May 12th on the proposed scheme, is correct in using the term "knee-jerk".
It is so, in the sense that news of the enormous scheme planned for Dún Laoghaire sea front emerged in public only in national newspapers on April 13th-14th.
Up to then this project was kept a very closely guarded secret by the council despite promises made two years ago, when two equally massive schemes were rejected, that there would be public consultation before any further proposals.
In the second paragraph of his article Mr McDonald stated that the Save Our Seafront campaign is "led by" Richard Boyd-Barrett of the Socialist Workers' Party. Richard is, indeed, one of the leading and most enthusiastic members of our campaign, though at a 24-strong SOS committee meeting in Dún Laoghaire last night, he and one party colleague constituted the entire SWP representation.
We feel Mr McDonald acted snidely and obnoxiously in pointing to the SWP's presence on the committee so high up in his article and making no reference to the rainbow of other interests.
We know well that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has used the presence of the SWP in the past to try and damage our campaign but we are proud and happy to have Richard and his colleagues with us. And, we hope they stay with us.
That aside, there is much, much more that should worry the people of Dublin and Ireland who love this old seafront.
We have just been informed by councillors that the council intends to "vote in principle" on Tuesday, June 7th, at a meeting closed to the public and media to be held in Bewley's Hotel in Sandyford to support this huge scheme and begin the process of ceding the public ownership of the foreshore and five acres of Scotsman's Bay to private hands for development. This will then, presumably, be ratified within four working days by the council on Monday, June 13th, at its monthly meeting.
Your readers may also wish to know that at the "open" meeting of the council on June 13th, the public and press will have a total of eight seats to observe this historic act in the destruction of a quite remarkable and unique part of our national coastline.
This latest episode, we feel, is an utterly undemocratic and authoritarian act by powerful officials prior to the disposal of one of the public's most precious national amenities to wealthy vested private interests. This entire nation should take heed of what is happening in Dún Laoghaire.
Should any of your readers wish to join us to protest against this outside Bewley's Hotel in Sandyford on June 7th, or outside the Town Hall in Dún Laoghaire on the 13th, they will be very welcome. - Yours, etc,
NICOLA SARRATT, BOB WADDELL, Save Our Seafront, Dún Laoghaire.
Madam, - Having seen both the site and plans in Dún Laoghaire for the new seafront development I fail to see how anyone could justify such a proposal. It appears to be a totally inappropriate plan that will not fit with the current architecture of the area. As someone who walks the pier regularly, sails in Dún Laoghaire harbour all year round, shops in the area and lives in the locality I am infuriated by Niamh Bhreathnach's comments that this plan "meets everyone's wish to replace the current derelict site".
Whilst many people would like to see the old baths renovated it should not be to the detriment of the seafront, should not destroy the public view of the coastline and should not attempt to "privatise" the seafront.
I fear for other coastal spots such as Sandycove, Blackrock and Monkstown.
I feel that my views will go unheard while the so-called public representatives continue to develop further high-rise apartments for the minority and destroy the beautiful coastline that should belong to us all. - Yours, etc,
PAULA DURHAM, Blackrock, Co Dublin.