€61m to be spent on turning part of Haulbowline Island into a park despite warnings

A copy of the OPW report on the future use of the island, completed in May 2011, was released to the Irish Examiner under the Freedom of Information Act just months after preliminary work began on a project which will turn part of the site of the former Irish Steel plant into a major public amenity, with a sports field, walkways, and cycleways.
The working group was set up by the OPW in 2009 to examine the future potential of the site of a toxic waste dump, known as the East Tip, which was discovered on Haulbowline in June 2008. It felt the site was unsuitable for use either as a public amenity, housing, or industry due to “a combination of legacy issues, the security considerations of the Naval Service and the lack of necessary infrastructure.”