Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has criticised the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, for failing to follow through on commitments to organise two key meetings aimed at addressing serious issues affecting Wicklow Town.
Deputy Brady said that at a meeting of Wicklow TDs and councillors from the Wicklow Municipal District on November 10th last year, he put forward a proposal that the Tánaiste would convene two urgent meetings with the relevant statutory authorities.
“At a meeting between Wicklow TDs and councillors from the Wicklow Municipal District on November 10th last year, I proposed that two key meetings would be convened to try progress and get answers, and more importantly, action on two critical issues affecting Wicklow Town, the worsening coastal erosion at the Murrough and the future of Wicklow District Courthouse.”
“That proposal was unanimously supported by all the councillors, TDs and representatives present. It was agreed that Simon Harris, as Tánaiste, would be best placed to arrange these meetings with the relevant agencies, this was agreed to by a senior advisor who was at the meeting representing the Tánaiste.”
“However, five months on there has been complete radio silence. There has been no engagement and no indication as to when these meetings will take place. That is deeply concerning, and it probably sums up why there has been no real progress on these two key projects for Wicklow Town for many years.”
The first meeting was to bring together Wicklow TDs and local councillors with the National Transport Authority, Iarnród Éireann and other relevant statutory bodies to address the worsening coastal erosion at the Murrough.
“The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the continued failure to put in place coastal protection measures at the Murrough. With every major storm, large tranches of the Murrough are being washed away. This is not only seriously undermining the Dublin–Rosslare rail line, but it is also eroding a valuable public amenity that is hugely important to the people of Wicklow.”
Deputy Brady said the continued delay in bringing the relevant agencies together is unacceptable given the urgency of the situation.
“Large sections of the coastline have again been lost during recent storms and the risk to the railway line grows with every severe weather event. Coastal erosion is happening now, and it requires urgent action.”
Deputy Brady said he recently raised the issue with officials from the Department of Transport regarding the East Coast Rail Infrastructure Protection Project.
“I was informed that construction under the East Coast Rail Infrastructure Protection Project is not expected to begin until 2029 at the earliest. Waiting until 2029 to begin work simply cannot be acceptable. Urgent intervention is required now to stabilise the coastline and protect both this natural asset and critical rail infrastructure.”
The second meeting promised by the Tánaiste was to focus on the future of the disused Wicklow District Courthouse.
“The second meeting that Simon Harris committed to organising was to bring together the Wicklow TDs and councillors from the Wicklow Municipal District with representatives from the Courts Service and the Department of Justice to discuss the future of Wicklow District Courthouse.”
The courthouse has been lying vacant since 2010 and continues to deteriorate.
“This building has been lying empty since 2010. It is a protected structure and a landmark building in Market Square in Wicklow Town, yet it continues to sit idle while the fabric of the building deteriorates.”
Deputy Brady said the meeting was intended to address several key issues.
“The purpose of the meeting was to discuss why Wicklow Courthouse was removed from the National Development Plan, to explore the possibility of getting the project reinstated so that the long-needed refurbishment works could proceed, and to discuss the future use of the building.”
“If the government no longer intends to refurbish the building as a courthouse, alternative options must be considered. It simply can’t be left in a state of dereliction until 2030 at the earliest when a new National Development Plan will be put in place and the hope that the refurbishment might be included in that.
“If the Courts Service and the government no longer have a desire to progress the long-anticipated refurbishment of the courthouse for use as a court facility, then we need to have a serious discussion about the prospect of transferring the building for community use so that it can once again serve the people of Wicklow.”
“The continued failure to organise these promised meetings is not only deeply disrespectful to the elected representatives who unanimously supported this proposal, but more importantly to the people of Wicklow Town who expect action on these issues.”
“It also shows very little interest from Simon Harris in trying to find solutions to two major issues facing Wicklow Town, the worsening coastal erosion at the Murrough and the future of Wicklow District Courthouse.”
“These meetings were promised five months ago to try to get answers and, more importantly, to get real action. The ongoing delay only reinforces the sense that these projects are not being treated by the Government with the urgency they require.” Ends