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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 Nov 1992

Vol. 424 No. 9

Adjournment Debate. - Rogerstown (Dublin) Estuary.

I apologise for the slight delay in arriving in the Chamber. I am getting into practice for next week. Perhaps this shows that I need a lot of practice.

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, affording me the opportunity of raising this important issue tonight in what will be probably one of the final Adjournment debates in the 26th Dáil.

Rogerstown Estuary is a very small estuary near Donabate in north County Dublin. It is internationally recognised as one of the most important east coast sites and is vital for wintering wildfowl and waders and birds on passage. Indeed, birds come to the estuary from the Antarctic.

The estuary is divided into an inner and an outer section by a railway viaduct. The outer portion of the estuary is designated by the Wildlife Service as both a national nature reserve and a Ramsar site. These protective designations are compromised by the operation of the existing Balleally Tiphead by Dublin County Council in the inner estuary. The tiphead, which covers an area of 100 acres, has been in operation since 1971 in what could be classified as an environmentally sensitive area of scientific importance.

On 15 August last Dublin County Council made an application to the Department of the Marine to reclaim an additional 52.5 acres further out into this important wetland area, the inner estuary, for tipping purposes. That disastrous proposal, which is in conflict with the draft development plan of Dublin County Council, is totally unacceptable to the people of north County Dublin and must be rejected by the Minister and his officials. Efforts made by me and my colleagues on Dublin County Council to have this matter debated in the council have been unsuccesful.

Recent counts undertaken by the Wildlife Service have shown that wildlife depend on both the outer and the inner estuaries for feeding. When the birds migrate they go first to the outer estuary and when the food there is used up they go to the inner estuary. That is why we say that the estuary should be so designated.

The Irish Wildbird Conservancy have been concerned for several years about the operation of the Balleally Tiphead at the estuary. Complaints have been made to the EC in that regard and I understand that discussions are taking place with the EC and the Government.

Notwithstanding the needs of Dublin County Council to provide landfill sites — and I acknowledge those needs — it is completely unacceptable to allow the proposal to go through in its present form.

In conclusion, I have a reply from the Minister to the effect that he gave a commitment that all interested parties would be given an opportunity to express their views on this matter. This is too vague. I would ask the Minister and particularly his officials to give a commitment that there will be a public hearing. Hopefully he will say to the council: "This it totally unacceptable, find another solution, because at the end of the day we cannot afford to lose the Rogerstown Estuary". I hope the Minister will acknowledge this need, given the efforts being made by the various groups.

Rogerstown Estuary has been designated a special protection area for birds under the EC Birds Directive (Article 4 of Council Directive No. 79/409 EEC). It is also included in the list of Wetlands of International Importance, established under the terms of the Ramsar Convention. The area has also been a statutory wildfowl sanctuary, no shooting area, for over 17 years. In 1988 part of Rogerstown Estuary was established as a National Nature Reserve under Statutory Instrument No. 71 of 1988.

The tiphead operated by the local authority, Dublin County Council, is located on the northern side of the inner estuary. This site is outside the special protection area and the use of the site as a tiphead predates the special protection designation. The county council received licences from the Department of the Marine to reclaim a specific area in the inner estuary and no material has been disposed of outside of the limits set by the Department. Waste disposed of in the landfill site comprises inert material and mixed domestic refuse. Disposal of toxic and dangerous waste as covered by EC Directive 78/319 is prohibited at the site. Last month the county council notified the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Office of Public Works, that they were applying to the Department of the Marine, for a licence to reclaim a further 52.5 acres of foreshore adjoining the existing tiphead. The Department of the Marine have asked the county council to submit detailed environmental survey reports on the proposal, including the present ecological status of the estuary and the likely effects on the ecosystem of the proposed extension to the existing tiphead. Copies of these reports are being made available to the Office of Public Works to enable them to assess what implications the proposed development will have on the conservation status of the estuary. The Department of the Marine have been advised that the Office of Public Works will be submitting their observations on the proposal and they have agreed to take those observations into account before making a decision on the county council's application.

I have had representations from our colleagues on this matter. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be possible to comment on the proposal until all the reports have been received by the Office of Public Works and studied carefully by the relevant professional staff. I can assure the House that any inadequacies found in the reports or any unacceptable threats to the conservation of this important natural heritage site which may be highlighted therein will be brought to the attention of the Department of the Marine. I trust that this puts the matter in context for the House.

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