Wexford homes abandoned due to coastal erosion with 14 more at risk

Erosion at Ballyconnigar beach, Wexford.

Fourteen homes in coastal Wexford are at risk from coastal erosion while homes in another part of the county have already been abandoned.

The properties at Seaview near Kilmore Quay have been identified as being at risk in surveys undertaken by Wexford County Council to help safeguard areas of the county against erosion.

Two houses in the Ballyconniger area, near Blackwater, have been abandoned by the occupants, while an access road to three homes in Kilpatrick, north Wexford, has been lost, with residents having to cross the beach to reach their properties.

Currently, an €8m erosion and coastal flooding protection scheme is under way at Rosslare Strand, while emergency works are now in the planning stage for Seaview.

The council’s coastal engineer, George Colfer, told the Irish Examiner: “We are hoping the Seaview scheme will start next year and it will be a multi-million euro scheme.” 

He said there were 21 erosion-risk zones around the county, with ongoing monitoring of the coastline taking place.

He said drone and GPS technology were being used in some areas of high risk to get an accurate assessment of the level and speed of erosion.

Acknowledging coastal erosion is an issue in other areas of Ireland, Mr Colfer pointed out most of Wexford’s 260kms of coastline is soft and sandy, making it very susceptible to erosion, particularly in stormy conditions.

Within 200m of the Wexford coastline is 65km of roadway and 177 national monuments.

He stressed not all were at risk but said there was a need for monitoring.

Mr Colfer said in the instance where an access road to three houses was lost to erosion, the local beach is a Special Area of Conservation. As a result, any protection measures or replacement access works would encroach on the Special Area of Conservation, making it difficult to get approval for such measures.

“We cannot stop erosion happening and it appears to be accelerating in the last number of years,” he said.

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A recent study by Christopher Phillips, Conor Murphy and Patrick Bresnihan from the Geography Department at Maynooth University focused on the erosion of the beach in Courtown, a seaside resort in north Wexford.

The study noted: “In recent years, loss of the beach has been amplified by strong storm events requiring extensive coastal protection works in the form of rock armour to be installed, which further transformed the area. 

"Stretches of coastline around Courtown, extending from Ardamine to the North Beach in Courtown, are at significant risk of ongoing coastal erosion. 

"The experience of losing the beach has been painful for many and has impacted livelihoods, particularly for those who had small family businesses that relied on the beach for tourism, and childhood memories of the beach or connections to their identity.”