In the latest chapter of our #NatureTrumpsWalls campaign, Save The Waves took another stand against Donald Trump’s proposed seawalls at Doughmore Beach, Ireland. Last week, Save The Waves submitted a formal objection to the most recent 400+ page proposal document by Trump International Golf Links (TIGL), where they attempted to demonstrate the two seawalls would not disrupt the natural coastal dynamics at Doughmore Beach. Our objection letter was sent to the Clare County Council as part of the public comment period and outlined our many concerns with the proposal.
The Clare County Planning Department review of the public comment letters alongside the TIGL document will take place over the next few weeks with a final decision expected by December . This decision will their final ruling on the matter however it is possible that both sides might appeal their decision, which would escalate the matter to the federal body.
Back in March the Planning Department issued an 8-page ‘Request For Further Information’ (RFI) that outlined myriad concerns with TIGL’s second seawall proposal. The RFI established that “it is considered that the information submitted with this application is insufficient to enable the Planning Authority to make a complete planning assessment of the proposal”. It went on to say that, ‘Whilst it is acknowledged that the current proposal has provided for a reduction in the scale of the coastal defence works, from that as previously applied for under the planning application Ref. 16/371, concerns still remain with regard to the impact of the development on the beach and dune dynamics, and the adjoining Special Area of Conservation.”
The response from TIGL to this RFI failed on every level to address these fundamental flaws in the proposal and we stand with our local and European partners in strong opposition to the project. We hope that the local authorities agree that their pristine sand dune system and surfing resources are not compromised by TIGLs short sighted proposal.
Special thanks to our partners and technical advisors throughout this campaign.
For more information, visit our #NatureTrumpsWalls website.