Donald Trump’s proposed 3 km sea wall at his International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland in Doonbeg, Co, Clare, has been scrapped, according to new plans revealed on Monday night.
At the opening of the Public Consultation on revised plans for Donald Trump’s coastal defences at Doonbeg new proposals were put on public display that showed that permission to construct a continuous 2.8 kilometre wall has been abandoned.
According to those who attended last night’s Public Consultation, held at the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland in Doonbeg, a new planning permission is to be submitted shortly which will propose sheet metal piling and rock armour for 650 metres at one end and 200 metres at the other end of the dune system. Two holes will be relocated inland.
Clare County Council confirmed to The Clare Herald that the application has been withdrawn. Further information was requested by the local authority in June with regards to the planned development with a six month deadline given to reply. They had received no correspondence from Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland with the deadline fast approaching.
Save the Waves, who sponsored a petition that now has more than 100,000 signatures opposed to the original Wall, called it a ‘Good News Story’. Director of Programmes Nick Mucha said that “This is a defining milestone for the campaign. It demonstrates the power of the international community to protect our coasts. More than 100,000 people can celebrate the fact that the original ill-conceived sea wall proposal has been scrapped”.
FIE Director Tony Lowes commented “The threat of Trump’s Irish wall has hung over Doonbeg like a dark cloud for more than two years. There is no doubt the original proposal would have stopped the development of the dune system and scoured the beach, leading to a loss of one of the finest amenities on the west coast. While the sense of relief today is enormous – as is our gratitude to the international community- the current proposal will require detailed analysis in terms of the Conservation Objectives – and the impact on the protected snail – before we can comment on it”.
Former professional surfer and 2016 Clare General Election candidate for the Green Party Fergal Smith who attended the Public Information Day, said “There has been a serious rethink on the original wall which is good to see. It’s still a wall which is always a concern so it’s important to keep a close eye developments”.