Residents to protest against rezoning of St Edmundsbury land

THE Save St. Edmundsbury Protest Committee are inviting Lucan residents to stand together on October 17 at 2 pm to protest the rezoning of the High Amenity lands for residential development.

The Committee have described the “Now or Never” Peaceful Protest Walk as the final chance to be heard by South Dublin County Council regarding this issue, ahead of a final vote that is due to take place among councillors on October 19.

In June, 40 South Dublin County Councillors unanimously voted to preserve St. Edmundsbury, which led to another public consultation following amendments to the draft plan.

South Dublin County Council’s Chief Executive, Colm Ward, recommended to councillors that the land at Finnstown Castle, Coldcut and St Edmundsbury should be rezoned for residential development.

Councillor and Lucan resident, Liona O’Toole spoke about the importance of protecting areas of biodiversity such as St Edmundsbury, which is one of the last remaining green spaces in Lucan.

“Lucan is already accommodating substantial housing development. In my view, our area is taking more than its fair share, and protecting our remaining green spaces must also be a priority.

St Edmundsbury and Finnstown provide important areas of natural habitat within our growing community. These lands remain largely untouched by development, supporting a wide variety of wildlife, and cattle still graze on the Finnstown lands. As development continues around us, safeguarding these habitats becomes even more important.”

The walk is scheduled to commence at the entrance of St Edmundsbury and has been arranged in close partnership with An Garda Síochána. Volunteer stewards will be stationed along the entirety of the route.

The peaceful walk will proceed toward the heart of Lucan, culminating at the Village Green where the community’s collective voice will be heard. Supporters against the rezoning of Finnstown Castle and Coldcut are also encouraged to attend.

Co-Founder of the Committee, Rachel Tuohy, praised the extraordinary community response so far and encouraged everyone to show their support at the upcoming protest.

“The community spirit of Lucan and beyond has just been amazing. Thank you to everyone for their online submissions and support to date. This is our last chance to have our voices heard; it’s now or never, everyone.

“We are asking Lucan residents to come and support the “Now or Never” Protest Walk, where we will be asking the 40 South Dublin County Councillors to uphold their unanimous decision not to rezone these sacred lands on October 19.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme