Sir, – Well done to your correspondent for bringing the plan for the urban beach on Dún Laoghaire East Pier to our attention (Fiona Gartland, Home News, December 31st).
As we can now see from the white elephant of the new library, DLR Council has no interest in conserving the wonderful Victorian character of the harbour and seafront.
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council is co-funder of the urban beach and will again muzzle its own conservation department – as it did for the library.
The next item on the DLR CoCo’s agenda is another huge modern building in the harbour – on the Carlisle Pier – the Diaspora Centre.
The council would be far better off redeveloping the old baths, as well as changing the new library into a diaspora centre and trying to get some value for the €40 million wasted to date.
Hopefully the Minister’s excellent move to refuse to take on any more debts incurred by councils, will prompt DLRCoCo to act in a more commercially aware fashion.
In summary, say no to the urban beach – it will greatly damage the Victorian ambiance of the pier we love so well. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN McCARTHY,
Clarinda Park West,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.