| Wicklow Times | 4th June 2003 | staff reporter |
"The protest which was placed at the entrance to the European Golf Club in Brittas Bay last month, was organised solely to illustrate to the owners the level of anger that exists among sections of the walking and angling community regarding the closing of the walkway which had existed on Mizen Head for years" that's according to Eamonn Long of Wicklow Sinn Féin who was in attendance at the protest on the day.
"It's simply not on that a local golf club owner can overnight claim ownership to a piece of land which people have enjoyed for years on the grounds of insurance difficulties. Some of the best bass fishing grounds on the east coast exist along this stretch of coastline when in season. It's also a much-enjoyed scenic walking area that has been loved by Wicklow people in general for years. We're asking the owner of the club to enter into dialogue with us on the matter to try and seek a resolution to the problem. We are not anti-golf by any means, we just feel that others have rights and entitlements which should be taken into consideration as well."
The group have lobbied the local planning authority tirelessly since last November. "We have since been informed by Wicklow County Council that no planning permission was sought by the owners of the club to erect the 10ft. steel barrier which is buried in concrete foundations and overhangs the cliff-face. While the Council feel that the erection of the barrier by the owner was not exempt from planning laws and should be removed immediately, we as a group would welcome the help of anyone who may be able to clarify for us whether a public right of way exists or not on Mizen Head. Neither the Land Registry Office in Dublin or the local planning authority here in Wicklow can provide us with this information to date."
"The owner of the club is mistaken in the way he underestimates how strongly people in Co. Wicklow feel about land access issues. The article sur rounding a similar fence just south of Arklow a couple of months ago in a local newspaper, illustrates exactly how people react to situations which restrict their rights."
"Finally, the protestors would like to point out that the attempts by the owner of the club to ridicule the protesters as a "small bunch of trouble makers" couldn't be more far removed from the truth. We are currently collecting a petition in the Arklow and Wicklow area which when submitted will clearly demonstrate the level of anger out there and gives the protestors a strong mandate for their actions. This petition will be submitted to the relevant bodies in due course. We would like to further stress that if the owner continues to remain in his intransient position regarding resolving this matter we will have no option but to escalate the dispute".
|
|
| Main News Page | Main Page |
Please contact the Webmaster if you wish to add your website or if you have any queries, suggestions or broken links to report.