Reclamation proposal: Built on sand

Developer Harry Crosbie has proposed reclaiming land from the sea along the coast of Dublin to try to help tackle the housing crisis. He suggested that reclaiming land along the Clontarf Road would create homes for 65,000 people, though it would deprive that part of Dublin of cherished open spaces and leisure amenities. The adventure would require using Dutch technology and would cost around €200m, and take 18 months to complete, he argued.

Even if you set aside arguments about containing ever-rising sea levels and the very optimistic €200m figure and an equally optimistic timescale — commitments to balanced regional development, too — the proposal seems built on sand, literally and metaphorically.