THE LIVES of water birds at Williamstown creek in Dublin Bay could be endangered by the building of a car park in Booterstown, local residents have said.
Works for the car park, located in the "Circus field", got under way on Friday despite opposition from several protesters present.
Veronica Heywood, chair of Booterstown Nature Reserve Management Advisory Committee, which is a sub-committee of An Taisce, said she was very angry works had started without proper consultation, especially considering the works are so close to a nature reserve.
Workers laid a large area of tarmacadam yesterday morning without any consultation, she said, adding "tarmac is a contaminant which could endanger the birds at the nature reserve, for which the county council is responsible".
Ms Heydon said 4,000 waders, including Redshanks and Greenshanks, were currently feeding on the nature reserve in Williamstown creek, including a flock of geese which had flown 5,000 miles from the Canadian arctic for the winter.
Willamstown creek was designated a Special Protected Area under the EU law Natura 2000, she said adding Ireland must take appropriate measures to protect such sites and prevent pollution, deterioration of the site or excessive significant disturbance according to the law.
Ms Heywood also criticised the council for constructing the car park so close to Dublin Bay.
"If the county council policy is to build car parks and hard stands next to Dublin Bay, in total disregard of witnessing the rise in sea level and exacerbated storms, I strongly recommend that Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council simultaneously build an Ark".
The Green Party also condemned the decision to put a commuter car park in the circus field.
Green councillor for Blackrock Ruairí Holohan who arrived at the site at 7am on Friday in an attempt to prevent works going ahead, said "I have real concerns about the destruction of open space in a public park, right next to a special protection area". He said he pleaded with county manager Owen Keegan to halt the development immediately and go through the necessary consultation.
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council said minor improvement works were being carried out at the circus field/car park in Booterstown, in response to complaints on the unsatisfactory state of the site and in agreement with Iarnród Éireann.