In bringing this Adjournment matter before the House — the need for the Minister for the Environment to make a special amenity area order for the Dargle Valley — I am aware of the statutory provisions which the Minister no doubt has in front of him under which an amenity order of this sort can be made. No doubt the Minister will inform me that this can be done primarily by the planning authority for the area but he will also undoubtedly be aware that he can make an order under section 42 of the 1963 Planning Act directing the planning authority to make a special amenity area order. There is a good and appropriate precedent for this motion which is that the first special amenity area order for the Liffey Valley was made in 1990 and I ask the Minister to make a similar order now for the Dargle Valley in 1992.
The Dargle Valley is possibly the most under-utilised resource in County Wicklow. In 1986 following hurricane "Charlie" a great deal of engineering work was carried out to protect the Dargle Valley area from a similar catastrophe in the future, although this sort of event happens statistically only once every hundred years. Work was not done particularly sensitively in what is potentially a very rich area ecologically, particularly for fishing. It is most important that a special area amenity order be made here to protect this valuable resource; the Dargle between Bray and Enniskerry contains some of the best salmon and trout in Ireland and is wasted because it is being poached bare of fish.
The Eastern Fisheries Board have made a tremendous effort over a long period to patrol this area without any great success. People say there is nothing to be done because there is a tradition of poaching in the Dargle. The issue of a special amenity area order would be the first step in curbing the destruction of this wonderful natural resource which is possibly the most valuable natural asset in County Wicklow. One only has to stroll between Bray Bridge and the Harbour to see stroke hauling; further down in the people's park fish traps are constructed quite openly. There are good runs for sea trout and salmon in the Dargle Valley and they produce superb heavy quality fish, but the Dargle Angling Club and other fishermen have been constantly frustrated by the level of poaching in this river; it is possibly the most poached river in Ireland.
It is important that we designate it a special amenity area so that the fish — the natural resource — can be exploited for the benefit not only of the people of Bray but of national tourism. Eamon De Butléir, who lived for a long time in this area and who is an authority without peer on the subject, has been quoted as saying that Dargle fish stocks will have been poached out of existence by the end of the century if nothing is done about it. Hotels and shops in the area buy from the poachers and this problem must be tackled by the creation of a special amenity area where fishing can be exploited for the good of all the community.
Other reasons this should be made a special amenity area include the presence of at least one large industrial premises which is totally unsuitable environmentally and which produces unpleasant emissions making the area unattractive for residents and tourists. A beautiful amenity area is being destroyed not only by poachers but by factory emissions. As this lithographic factory is not environmentally friendly as it now stands, it should be moved and no further industry allowed in this small area.
In the last month or so there have been applications from individuals to build houses in the Valley — those applications have yet to be processed — but large houses in this area would further destroy the Dargle Valley's potential as a tremendous natural resource. There is also before Wicklow County Council a proposal at an advanced stage which will eventually come to the Minister for the Environment for a halting site in this area. Wicklow County Council have fallen down appallingly on their statutory obligations to produce halting sites in County Wicklow and now apparently propose to put a halting site in an area totally unsuitable for travellers, settled people and industry. We are destroying the great natural beauty and resources of a special area while a special amenity area order from the Minister would allow it be developed as a fishing resource creating tourism opportunities and consequently employment. If an order is not made soon, this beautiful natural resource with enormous potential for tourism and employment will be destroyed for ever.
