HELL NO! to €19m tourism plan
By Echo Reporter
HELL NO! is the mantra of a newly established campaign called Save the Hell Fire which is against the scale of the €19 million tourism project proposed by South Dublin County Council for the Dublin Mountains.
The council is proposing to develop a €19 million flagship tourism project at the Hellfire Club and Massy’s Estate which, if passed, will see a tree top walk link the two scenic locations.
The proposed plans, which could attract up to 300,000 visitors a year, will incorporate, over two buildings, a visitor centre with exhibition space, panoramic café, toilets, changing facilities, walkers lounge, education centre and retail.
The emerging proposal also includes car park facilities, coach park, improved trail network with signage and minimal conservation works both at the Hell Fire Club and Massy’s Estate.
Last week, the council confirmed to The Echo that it has started a series of public consultations and workshops on the proposed development, in an attempt to engage with local people and gather opinions that will help shape the planning application due to be submitted with An Bord Pleanala this May.
The council, which has already held a work shop with elected representatives and is due to hold one this Monday, February 27, with landowners, will post details of the public consultations due to be held in March on a dedicated section of its website – which also provides background to the project, what it proposes and details on how members of the public can get involved.
However, a grass roots campaign against the scale of the development has been established in the hope of protecting the beauty, ecology and archaeology of the Hell Fire Club and Massy’s.
Anna Collins, a member of Save the Hell Fire and Woodstown resident, told The Echo: “We are not against everything in the proposal but we are against the scale of the current plan.
“The Hell Fire Club and Massy’s are sensitive ecological sites and are the only wilderness, wooded sites, within city limits in the country, so are very special.
“The red squirrels have made a comeback to both Hell Fire and Massy’s, which are also home to birds, foxes, badgers, deer and gold crests.
“The rivers in Massy’s woods also feed into the Dodder catchment area and act as a wildlife corridor for animals to escape from the city back into wooded areas.”
She added: “It has been stressed in the council’s own document that development has to take into account the ecology and archaeology of the area.
“However, we find it very difficult to see how that is achievable considering the scale of the development.”
The campaign group has highlighted a number of buildings and old houses in the vicinity of the Hell Fire Club that could be converted into a visitor centre, with linked pathways to both sites.
This could offer a “lower cost, lower scale” development that would be more sensitive to the natural ecology of the mountain area, and its diversity of wildlife – alongside alleviate concerns around traffic and road safety.
Anna told The Echo: “We are now looking for meaningful engagement with the council and Coillte.
“We also desperately need people to post or email letters, copies of which are on our websites, to the council and elected representatives.
“We are also trying to raise funds, so that we can engage with An Bord Pleanala and pay for a planner to access the ecology and the impact [of such a development].”
With currently 60 members, the Save the Hell Fire group has encouraged members of the community to express their interest in the campaign by visiting www.savethehellfire.com.
South Dublin County Council this week told The Echo that it will be posting details of public consultations and workshops on the parks and recreation section of its website in the coming days.
Visit www.sdcc.ie.
