Rossbeigh dunes cry for protection

Donal Hickey says erosion threatens the Kerry beach.

BLUE flag Rossbeigh Beach, just off the Ring of Kerry, has long been listed among the finest in the Irish coastline. But it is one of the most endangered in relation to erosion.

The beach, sand dunes and cliffs have been taking a battering from wind and wave for years, with very little being done by the authorities to resolve a problem that has been getting progressively worse.

As is so often the case, local people have been issuing dire warnings, but nobody has been listening. Now, part of the Rossbeigh Spit (sand dune area) is in danger of being isolated and could, in time, become an island.

A public meeting to demand action was held in nearby Glenbeigh last week, attended by Fine Gael TD Tom Sheahan, a native of the area. He said the necessary work to tackle erosion cannot be delayed any further. “It’s not scaremongering to say a number of sand dunes will soon be completely cut off from the area,” he said.

Local FF councillor and businessman Michael Cahill, who was also at the meeting, has in his lifetime seen three new sections of the cliff road having to be constructed after the supporting land collapsed on the seaward side. He agreed the dunes are in severe danger.

“From an environmental viewpoint, Rossbeigh Spit is a very sensitive area with a number of EU designations,” he said.

Rossbeigh is a good example of the countless areas under threat from coastal erosion. According to the Carter and Johnston survey in 1982, 160-300 hectares of land are lost to the sea each year, with the south-east, particularly Co Wexford, among the worst-hit areas.

In 1992, a National Coastal Erosion Committee reported that 1,500km of coastline was at risk and needed a proper coastal management policy rather than mere fire brigade-type action whenever serious incidents happened.

The situation has worsened in the meantime and will probably be exacerbated in the coming years, given the dire predictions, regarding climate change, rising sea levels and more storms.

A plethora of government departments, including Marine, Environment and Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, as well as county councils, share responsibility for coastal erosion. But that setup only adds to the problem, making it more difficult to pinpoint where actual responsibility lies. The lack of funding means that very little can be done. The total sum available last year was just €6 million, which would not even be enough for one county.

Cork County Council’s coastal management committee has called for “significantly more funds” in order to have any chance of providing protection against marine damage. In a submission to a national strategy group, it said dangers from coastal erosion were real and significant.

“There does not seem to be any strategy in place to deal with this problem and the funding provided to local authorities to carry out coast protection works wouldn’t reach 5% of what is now needed.”

Meanwhile, as if to underline the environmental importance of Rossbeigh, a proposal for a 30-berth caravan park at the beach was turned down by An Bord Pleanála two years ago. The board cited mainly environmental reasons, including damage to an area of international importance for wild birds, extra damage by human traffic and intrusion on a scenic landscape at Rossbeigh.

Two years ago, Kerry County Council closed a long-established caravan park, which did not have planning permission, on the back beach at Rossbeigh, a special area of conservation. It cited environmental reasons, with senior managers warning that the beach could lose its blue flag status if the park did not comply with planning and the council could face prosecution for allowing an unapproved facility on its land.

The caravan owners, some of whom had been using the site for upwards of 40 years, were ordered to leave it before the 2006 season. They saw themselves as protectors of the area and argued that they never did any damage. Most elected councillors sided with the owners and the council sought planning permission from An Bord Pleanála for an alternative caravan park with full facilities.

However, the board, having considered 37 submissions, mainly from objectors including An Taisce and the Department of the Environment, refused planning for this site, which is in an open area near the entrance to the beach.

Among the reasons given was the damaging impact of more human traffic on a priority habitat and important ecological site.

The caravan owners have not returned to the area, but the damage continues unabated and the dunes cry out for protection.