Conservation group unveils proposal for new park in Wicklow

A plan for a new regional park, to include a wide area of north Co Wicklow, has been unveiled by a Wicklow-based conservation group.

The plan, which is being considered by Wicklow County Council, includes the Great and Small Sugar Loaf mountains, the Dargle Valley, Bray Head, the Glen of the Downs and part of the Kilruddery Estate.

The Save Our Head Organisation (SOHO), which was initially founded to oppose the development of the lower slopes of Bray Head, says it represents residents' associations, concerned citizens, wildlife support groups, sporting and recreational bodies, and public representatives.

SOHO has already collected 6,000 signatures against the housing development on Bray Head.

At present the council has listed Bray Head and the Great and Small Sugar Loaf mountains as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and has committed itself to considering Special Area Amenity Order (SAAOs) status to further protect them.

SAAO status is also being considered for the Dargle Valley.

The County Development Plan also includes a development "buffer zone " around Kilruddery House and gardens while the eastern regional authorities have nominated Bray Head as its flagship SRUNA (Sustainable Recreational Uses for Natural Assets) project.

However, proposers of the plan for a regional park say the current preservation orders are piecemeal and could lead to spasmodic development of the rural and semirural areas around Bray, Greystones and Kilmacanogue, as well as the Kilruddery Estate, home of the Earls of Meath.

Now it says all development in the areas proposed for SAAO status should be banned - at least until a firm decision is made on the SAAOs.

SOHO says it is unclear whether the protection being considered is a single SAAO or four separate orders.

It says no professional evaluation of the entire landscape area has been carried out and it says this is a vital precursor to any campaign for a regional park.

It has mapped the area where it feels the regional park should be and has suggested to Wicklow council that the current SRUNA project be expanded to gather and evaluate the data required for a detailed masterplan for the new park.

SOHO believes north Wicklow is coming under "unprecedented pressure" for residential development, road infrastructure and related land uses.

It also believes the current protection orders are arbitrary and inadequate. It argues for "an innovative and holistic approach to landscape development and conservation issues".

It argues that a regional park represents a coherent, regional landscape unit that is identifiable as a visual and functional whole.

In addition to the areas mentioned, SOHO says it is vital to afford protection to the coastal walk between Greystones and Bray, which is an important nesting area for many bird species and enjoys many spectacular marine views.

The Wicklow Democratic Left TD, Ms Liz McManus, who chairs SOHO, said the plan was submitted to the council during the consultation period of the Draft Development Plan.

She said the plan would come before the elected members of the county council later this month and would stand on its merits. "The scale of the plan is right to meet the problems involved," she said.