Further environmental concerns over Tolka Valley works

Renewed concerns have been raised by local politicians with regard to the controversial plans of Fingal County Council to route a new sewer pipe through the Tolka Valley.

Dublin West Green Party representative, Roderic O'Gorman has called on the council to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment into the proposal, while Cllr. Michael O’Donovan has backed calls from the local branch of the Labour party for various guarantees to be given before work commences.

Roderic O’Gorman says that he has “asked the council to reconsider proceeding with the plan to build a new duplicate sewer pipe through the Tolka Valley beside the existing pipe without undertaking a full Environmental Impact Assessment.”

He is greatly concerned over the potential disruption to activity within the environs of the park. “Over the last number of years, between €2-3 million has been spent on works developing the Tolka Valley Park. It strikes me as hugely wasteful that, having put so much resources into the park, that the ouncil is now prepared to undo much of this by implementing major construction works to lay this sewer pipe. This, combined with the lack of consultation with local residents and interest groups, leads me to believe that in the short term, the council must undertake a proper EIA.”

He is also concerned about the effects of the work on the availability of an “area that is heavily used by locals for recreational purposes. The river itself is fished by local youth angling groups such as the Tolka River Valley Alliance (TREA) and all these activities will face major disruption and some may be permanently stopped by the current plans being put forward by the Council.

“As such I believe that it is vital that Fingal County Council sets out a detailed assessment of realistic alternative routes on social, environmental and economic criteria."

A Labour party submission to the council makes many of the same points but goes further in looking for quite a number of guarantees and calls for a phased approach to the work which would enable sections of the park to be used during the period of the work.

It also looks for government funding to be provided which will “allow not alone for reinstatement of the park but for extra works to enhance the valley.”

The submission suggests that the contractor be obliged to engage a horticulturist to supervise the removal of soil containing orchids which are rare in this area and are to be reinstated after the work.

It also recommends that “a sum should be included in the contract for communications. Interested individuals and groups should be invited to register with the council and receive regular updates on the progress of work in the Tolka Valley.”

On a topic which has raised much criticism and was the subject of a public meeting arranged by the Socialist Party’s Ruth Coppinger recently, the Labour Party statement recommends that “full consideration should be given to alternative routes for some sections of the pipeline that have been put forward by the Dublin 15 Environmental Group.”

Also suggested is the setting up of a monitoring committee to review the progress of the work. This committee would be made up the various interested parties, such as councillors, officials of the Parks and Water Services departments, representatives of the contractors, representatives of the community and of organisations groups and clubs which use the valley.

The statement pointed out that “Fingal’s own website notes that the river supports an abundance of brown trout and that all possible measures should be taken to ensure that this situation continues.”

It adds that “the recommendations of NATURA, the company which carried out the ecological assessment of the plan should be incorporated into the final report, particularly the recommendations in relation to the protected species, badger, bat and kingfisher.”

Finally, in a statement that will send shivers up the spine of many an official it suggests that “a brief archaeological report should be done along the route of the proposed pipeline.”

Cllr. Michael O’Donovan has echoed these sentiments saying that “if all these recommendations were put in place and if real extra funding was allocated to ‘finish off’ the Park, then we might achieve a win for the community.

“But I would stress again that for the Tolka Valley Park to really succeed, it needs and deserves a ranger service, a service which other Fingal parks such as Malahide and Ardgillan already have.”

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