Following the recent erection of temporary barriers at Dollymount Beach, there has been much communication and activity to try to understand the background and reasons for the current vehicle restrictions.

We have sent a letter to Dublin City Council, local councillors and An Garda Síochána requesting information on the reasons for closure and the longer term plans for vehicular access to Dollymount.

As a result, the IKSA met directly with Dublin City Council staff on Friday, June 11th 2014, to discuss this topic.

We learned that the temporary barriers at both ends of the beach will remain and plans are to be put in place to erect more permanent structures at the Causeway Entrance, while further discussions will take place with regards to access at the Wooden Bridge.

DCC, with input from the IKSA, will issue an official statement to members in the coming week to communicate the events leading up to these restrictions, the reasons for the closure and what future plans for vehicular access are.

Update July 23rd, 2014

Following a Local Area Council meeting on July 21st we have received the following responses from a couple of councillors who attended and brought the topic up on the behalf of the kitesurfing community and other interested parties: 

It was agreed at yesterdays Area Committee meeting that officials from the Gardai and Council management would meet up and agree a compromise solution that would allow access to the beach, albeit somewhat reduced from that which was previously the case.  I believe beach users such as yourselves and disabled persons should be allowed motor access and I feel this will be the case.

I will keep you advised.

A Chara,

You were in touch with me recently in relation to access to Dollymount beach. As you know, Dublin City Council put barriers in place in response to communication and recommendation from the Gardaí with regard to traffic management and public safety issues. The issue was comprehensively discussed by local Councillors at a meeting of the North Central Area Committee of Dublin City Council last Monday.Councillors expressed their concern that this decision was taken unilaterally without any consultation.

As a result it was agreed that a further meeting should take place between local Councillors, the Gardaí and the Parks and Landscape Services Division to consider all the issues involved.

I will continue to pursue this matter on your behalf and keep you advised of any developments.

Update October 13th, 2014

A Chara,

Further to previous communication regarding the above I wish to inform you that local Councillors are having a meeting with the City Parks Superintendent Leslie Moore on Wednesday morning to discuss the matter and hopefully reach a pragmatic solution to the current situation where bollards were erected without any consultation with users or local politicians. Myself and Naoise O'Muirí had an emergency motion passed at our last City Council as follows


1. That no permanent parking ban be implemented on Dollymount Beach and that full consultation with local representatives, the public and vulnerable beach users takes place prior to any changes to vehicular access.

Councillors Naoise Ó Muirí and Deirdre Heney

Hopefully we can reach a solution that will at least allow use vehicular access to the beach during daylight hours.

I will keep you informed in this regard.

Kind regards,
Deirdre.

Update October 15th, 2014

A Chara,

You were in touch with me previously regarding the decision by City Management earlier this year to unilaterally prohibit vehicular access to Dollymount beach without any public consultation.

As you may be aware a meeting eventually took place this morning between local Councillors and the Parks and Landscape Services Division to discuss this matter further. It was agreed that a new management plan will now be prepared for the beach by May 2015.The plan will deal with traffic management and car parking issues as well as improving the set down areas.

I insisted that public consultation should be central to this new plan and this was agreed.

In the meantime two parking bay areas for cars as you come off the wooden bridge will now be opened up again. I know that this information will be of interest to you and will certainly continue to keep you advised of developments in relation to this issue.

We had our meeting this morning with the City Parks Superintendent Leslie Moore, following which agreement was reached that vehicular access to the beach would be re-opened from the Wooden Bridge end, with parking space reduced by approximately one third, i.e. it was approx 7,000sqm and this will be reduced to approx 4,500 sqm.
We also agreed that a parking and traffic management plan for the Causeway/Bull Wall would be in place by May next year to be implemented by the Parks Dept in June or early July of 2015.

I accept as do others, that un-restricted vehicular access onto Dollymount does result in problems associated with traffic and pedestrian safety and that a proper plan to allow for all beach users to enjoy the facility in a safe and user friendly accessible manner is the way forward. Hopefully, with a properly worked out parking and traffic management plan, we will achieve this and next year all beach users will be able to continue to enjoy this lovely facility, safely.
I intend to continue to pursue this matter with the relevant Council officials.

Thank you very much for contacting me about the barriers preventing access to Dollymount Strand

There was a meeting held on Wednesday morning between Clontarf local area Councillors and senior officials from Dublin City Council.  It was pointed out to DCC officials that there was widespread public dissatisfaction with the manner in which vehicles were blocked from accessing Dollymount Strand.  As well as restricting Dubliners with mobility issues, kite-surfers and other users from accessing the beach, DCC's action had also caused widespread traffic management / health & safety difficulties particularly in the summer months.  A compromise was reached whereby vehicular access would be reopened at the Bull Wall end only (the causeway end remains closed for vehicular access to the strand) albeit to a smaller car park than previous.  In the meantime and before next May 2015 DCC will develop a full traffic management plan for the Island which will take into account the various issues involved including improving emergency access to the beach….and taking into account the opinions of all beach users.

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