I welcome the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Deputy de Valera, to the House and call Senator Quill.
Adjournment Matter. - Mount Congreve Estate, County Waterford.
May I share time equally with Senator Gibbons?
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I also welcome the Minister to the House. It is fitting that the Minister who was appointed as the custodian of our heritage should be in the House to take this matter. Essentially this is about the protection and preservation of one of the most important parts of Ireland's living heritage, Mount Congreve Estate, County Waterford, which is under threat by the National Roads Authority's proposal to route a bypass road through part of the estate. I call on the Minister, in her capacity as Minister for heritage, to call on the NRA to put a halt to their current proposal. I also ask her to initiate steps to ensure that the Mount Congreve Estate will be dedicated as a world heritage site like Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland. In addition, I appeal to her to enlist the support of her Government colleagues in the request to the NRA to find a viable alternative to this route, known as route 17.
The gardens at Mount Congreve are judged by experts to be the most valuable gardens developed anywhere in the world in the past century. Their survival is dependent on the retention of a shelter belt and the current proposed route would breach that shelter belt on the crest of a ridge some four or five miles from the sea as the crow flies. This is the shelter belt which protects the gardens from wind and sea spray damage, and provides the kind of micro-climate where the exotic plants and shrubs can thrive. To breach the shelter belt is to deliver the kiss of death to the gardens.
These gardens were developed by Mr. Ambrose Congreve over 70 years. He has spent his adult life planning and perfecting this most magnificent garden. He has decided to leave the garden as a legacy to the State after his death. This is a profound gift to the people of Ireland. The Office of Public Works has become a trustee of the estate and has accepted his gift in principle. Is it not ironic that one organ of State has accepted the gift while another agency of State is putting in place something that would lead to the long-term and inevitable destruction of the estate? I find this very difficult to accept.
I remind people, including those in Waterford, that gardening is now the second fastest growing leisure activity in Europe. To illustrate my point I remind people that more than 100,000 people visited Mallow last summer in the course of three days during the garden festival. This shows the extent of public interest in gardening. If the people of Waterford fully appreciate the asset in their midst and look to the future they will stand up and say to the NRA, "Hands off, we want this garden preserved for our county and our city".
Waterford has developed very well in recent times. The Association of Businesspeople Against Litter has designated it as one of the most litter free cities in Ireland. Therefore, it has the capacity to be a beautiful city and to sustain a huge tourism trade attached to this garden, if it is preserved. If the NRA proceeds with its current proposals the gardens will inevitably die. This is an essential part of the inheritance of the next and following generations and I ask the Minister to move quickly to ensure the gardens and the estate remain intact for generations to come.
I thank Senator Quill for sharing time with me. I also welcome the Minister to the House.
I cannot overstate the importance of this matter. Waterford city has had the distinction over the past number of years of having the support of the local county council and Bord Fáilte in pursuing its objective of being part of a crystal clear county. It has been trying to emphasise this aspect in terms of tourism, and has been so successful that it is now considered the cleanest county in Ireland, which is no mean boast.
There are many measures on the Statute Book regarding the protection of the built environment, some of which are extremely important and have worked very effectively over the past number of years. We all know cases where this protection has been particularly successful. However, it is equally important that we protect the context of the built environment, that is, the land on which it is situated.
Mount Congreve is a garden of international repute. As a practising landscape architect I have some interest in this area and it is fascinating that on the banks of the Suir river we have the largest single collection of tree magnolias in the world. Many of these magnolias have come from as far away as New Zealand and the Himalayas. We are now proposing to put a road adjacent to these gardens which will put them under great threat. It is inconceivable that we could countenance such action. I fully accept that the bypass of Waterford must go ahead, but I am suggesting that the NRA has a responsibility to find an alternative route to that which has been recommended.
Apart from the gardens, there is a nursery in Mount Congreve which employs 105 people on the edge of Kilmeaden, a small town. It would be catastrophic for that town to lose those jobs and that is a possibility as the nursery, which has put its emphasis on developing, breeding and propagating ericaceous plants, could move outside the country. It exports many of its products internationally and people from all over Europe come to Mount Congreve for ericaceous plants. The importance of this, given that the industry is growing at a rate of 13% to 15% per annum, cannot be overstated.
The attitude of the NRA concerns me greatly. I have spoken to the authority at length about its proposals. It describes the recommended route as passing through farmland. It passes through the farm of Mount Congreve, but there are consequences in putting a road adjacent to the very important shelter belt which creates the micro-climate in which these plants can flourish, not to mention the effects on the water table. The authority will cut into the ground adjacent to the shelter belt to a depth of 25 metres, which is inconceivable and without parallel in the country. The shelter belt will be left, the water table will be adjusted and the trees will consequently die off over time.
I have spoken to the NRA and asked it about its procedure regarding the route. It has recommended this route and carried out various studies. The authority acknowledges the importance of the shelter belt which consists of many trees. The loss in tree numbers would be in the region of 4,500 mature trees and about 25,000 saplings, the next generation of mature trees. Can we allow this happen? The NRA has recommended the route without carrying out a hydrological report. It is carrying out institutional vandalism of the area. The shelter belt will die if the route is developed.
The NRA has employed independent experts to carry out an EIS and a landscape assessment. I ask the NRA whether these experts have concerns about the proposed route. If so, what are they? Is the NRA prepared to ignore these concerns? I appreciate that the Minister has a great interest in this area. We need statutory protection for our public parks, gardens and domains of special interest.
I thank the Senators for their contributions. It has been a very useful debate, particularly for me. We know that the Mount Congreve estate is very special. It comprises the mansion house and gardens and was transferred to the Mount Congreve Trust under a deed executed in 1979. The deed provides that 66 acres of the trust property, which includes the gardens, will transfer to the State 21 years after the death of Mr. Ambrose Congreve. Thereafter, the mansion house and adjacent five acres will transfer to the State 80 years from the settlement deed or 21 years after the death of the last to survive Mr. Congreve, his wife and any child of hers or of six named persons, whichever of these periods is shorter.
Accordingly, as Mount Congreve is currently managed by the trustees with the advice and assistance of Mr. Congreve, my Department has no formal role in the management of the estate. However, it has contributed to the maintenance of the gardens by sponsoring trainee gardeners on one year contracts. There are also close associations between the National Botanic Gardens and Mount Congreve in the form of plant and information exchange and staff from the botanic gardens regularly visit there.
I am aware that the proposed route of the Waterford bypass is a matter of concern to Mount Congreve trustees. Officials from my Department have been in contact with Waterford County Council and the roadway design team regarding the possible impact on Mount Congreve Estate of the proposed bypass. They have availed of every opportunity to stress the importance, both nationally and internationally, of the Mount Congreve Estate and gardens and to oppose any plans which would have a major negative impact thereon.
I understand that Mount Congreve trustees agreed last year to the undertaking of various tests and surveys on the property and their results will be incorporated in the environment impact statement, which is due to be published shortly. The EIS will be examined by my officials to ensure that the proposed scheme does not have a significant negative impact either on Mount Congreve Estate and gardens or on the natural and built heritage of the area.
Mount Congreve contains a superb collection of shrubs and trees, including one of the largest collections of rhododendrons in the world. Mr. Congreve's philosophy that shrubs should be planted not in ones or twos but in hundreds has the effect of producing spectacular bands of contrasting blossom. I am delighted these gardens of international significance will transfer to the State to ensure their preservation for future generations to enjoy their magnificence. Any proposed scheme which could have a significant negative impact on these gardens will be opposed by my Department.
Dúchas, the heritage service, is involved in ongoing discussions and we hope there is a positive outcome for both the estate and the gardens, which are an important part of the estate. Senator Quill queried whether the estate could be designated a world heritage site. I will examine that issue and come back to her on it. Further discussion is required regarding the viability of route 17 and the gardens. I understand, although I am open to correction, that a compromise has been proposed for the route because other proposals for it were not accepted by a number of residents in the area.
I note the concerns of the Senators with regard to the shelter belt of the trees which protect the gardens from wind and the salt sea climate. I assure them that this issue must be addressed to our satisfaction before we agree to it. I agree with their comments on the importance of gardens and niche tourism. Statistics have borne out their importance, particularly the number of Europeans who visit in order to seek out gardens. It is a growing part of the tourism industry which should be recognised and encouraged.
When a development is undertaken a balance must be struck. All Members representing the area realise and accept that a bypass is needed but it must be ensured the best approach is adopted for motorists while at the same time maintaining our heritage. The two should not be mutually exclusive. There must be a means whereby a positive resolution can be found to this issue. I thank both Senators for raising the issue and I have been made aware of it by other interested groups and individuals from Waterford. I am pleased I had the opportunity to hear from both Senators on the issue and I assure them I will keep in touch with them regarding developments.
I thank the Minister. Both of us are vastly encouraged by her comments. It is heartening to know that the Department will oppose any measure that would have a significant impact on the gardens. That is all we ask. There must be development and we are the first to recognise that Waterford needs a second bridge and a bypass to enable further economic growth in the area. However, such development cannot take place at any price.
This issue is reminiscent of Hugh Lane's bequest to Ireland before the foundation of the State when we were told that we could not house the collection because we could not provide a gallery, and also of the searing lines written by W. B. Yeats:
What need you, being come to sense,
But fumble in a greasy till
And add the halfpence to the pence
And prayer to shivering prayer, until
You have dried the marrow from the bone?
We do not want that to be said of our generation. We have gained independence in the meantime and a de Valera oversees our inheritance. This element of our inheritance is in good and safe hands.
The Seanad adjourned at 8.40 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 23 March 2000.