In a very welcome decision, An Bord Pleanala has approved the proposals to construct the only remaining missing section of the S2S project in north Dublin Bay in an order made on the 22nd December2011. The section, which is in Dollymount, opposite St Anne’s Park, runs from the Wooden Bridge to the Causeway and is approximately 2kms long. The approval is very important because the completion of this section will allow a continuous 9Kms of traffic-free promenade and cycleway all the way from Sutton to Alfie Byrne Road. This is almost half the entire route around Dublin Bay and leaves only about 6 kms to the completed on the south side of the city.
The National Parks and Wildlife section of the Department of Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht objected to the proposal on grounds of alleged loss of habitat and disturbance to birds, but, having weighed up all the evidence, the Board did not sustain those objections. While everyone accepts that there is unlikely to be money available to carry out the construction in the immediate future, the approval is still of critical importance as it will enable work to be commenced if and when the money does become available or the cost of the proposals are reduced.