Erosion may see parts of beach dunes area become off-limits to public
Kerry County Council is to meet with experts on dune management in relation to continuing erosion at Rossbeigh, where up to 50 acres have already been washed away by the sea and a new island formed.
While the council does not have the money to tackle ongoing erosion in the area, it now says some “no-go” areas may have to be created to help the dunes to recover.
Local Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Cahill called on the council, the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Department of the Environment to draft a management plan for the area before erosion causes further damage.
He also called for more use of fill-in materials, especially in the vulnerable back beach area at Rossbeigh.
A new island was created at the tip of the Rossbeigh peninsula after the sea breached the dunes during a high tide and stormy conditions in December 2008.
The erosion has continued to undermine the dunes, resulting in dangerous conditions in an area frequented by walkers and tourists.
Mr Cahill also said quicksand was a new hazard, with several reports of walkers losing footwear as they tried to pull their feet out of soft sand at the northern end of the peninsula.
New warning signs to make people aware of the dangers should be erected at the entrance to the beach, he urged.
He also said wave power and continuing erosion meant the island was getting smaller by the week and an old tower was moving further away from the mainland.
“It means sand in the area is falling away and this is happening at an alarming rate,” Mr Cahill said.
If action wasn’t taken and erosion continued, the dunes would eventually be washed away completely, he warned. Senior county council engineers have said they don’t have nearly enough money, or resources, to tackle Kerry’s multi-million euro coastal erosion problem.
Any money put up by the council would have to be matched by funds from Government departments, they pointed out.
In recent years, the council spent €4 million on coastal protection in the Inch area of the Dingle Peninsula, where a section of the main Killarney to Dingle road was being seriously undermined.
Sections of the road overlooking Rossbeigh beach have also collapsed.
