Save Bray Seafront
wicklow |
history and heritage |
news report 
Wednesday July 29, 2009 17:28
by Alyson Burke and Wayne Tobin - Save Bray Seafront Campaign
savebrayseafront at gmail dot com
0861540803
Protecting our Towns' seaside legacy
We announce the Launch of a campaign of opposition to the so called "Riveria" apartments close to seaside area in Bray. We intend to maximise the number of objections against any development proposals and build a grassroots movement based on "people power". We are also opposed to further slot machines in the area which may lead to serious addiction problems and can be a source of trouble within families. We will strongly oppose any plans for development in the one scenic area of Bray left. Instead our campaign believes investment should be concentrated in the town centre. Some of our other aims include campaigning for the re-instatement of the Blue Flag for our Beach which we had in 1991. We also demand greater transparency and accountability in the planning process.
Dear Members of the wider Community,
We invite you to you to join our campaign of protest Save Our Seafront (Bray) which includes opposing the development of apartments
in the seafront area of Bray. We are calling on anybody who agrees with our central aims (listed below) in relation to the seafront
and Bray Head area to get involved in this movement which we aim to build up in accordance with other groups like the Save Our Seafront Campaign in nearby Dun Laoire who we will be contacting for advice. Despite the economic recession coastal sites are eyed up by greedy developers whose aim is merely to make a profit from the coastline with an indifference for future generations and a general failure to look at the necklace of bad planning which has mushroomed in a haphazzard and adhoc manner throughout the country.
Writing in the The Book of Bray, Walker (1989:105) notes how " a particular develoment may mean a loss of public benefit out of all proportion to private gain". This is a key point and our campign refuses to be fooled that the development of Salou-Style apartments are of any real benefit to the the coastal zone with its maritime sea views. In fact, in other European Countries such as Spain many of these eyesores are being torn down! The seafront belongs to the people and it is people who deserve a right to have a say over the area which they live, not solely business elites and other vested interests. Walker (1989:105) further notes how "poor planning will result in the wasteful use of scarce resources, reduction in residential amenities, traffic conjestion and a diminution in the quality of life of the residents in the area". Why should people have to look at Benidorn style apartments that are completely out of touch with the Victorian nature and history of this locality? Indeed in "The Favourite Resort, The Story of Bray Co. Wicklow" Clare (1998) in a section on Victorian Bray, notes the failure to develop more appropriate tourist facilities like the "Turkish Baths, Floral Hall and Promanade Pier". Interestingly one must also question certain geographic aspects of the coastal erosion scheme from Bray and the knock-on effects this has had on the cliff walk. Why were the stones not covered with sand to promote bathing and why has Bray Lost the Blue Flag?
Our aims include:
1) Maxinmising the number of objections against the so-called "riveria" apartments at the current proposed site.
2) Opposing the development of apartments near the slopes of Bray Head or at the Harbour.
3) Campaigning for the re-instatement of the Blue Flag for Bray which it had in 1991.
4) Getting the seafront railings painted back to their original Blue Colour (they were painted black without public consultation).
5) Promoting Bray as a tourist destination.
6) Promotion of proper planning and the opposition to a quasi-consultation process.
7) Highlighting the issue throughout the internet to maximise the numbers involved.
This movement will offer an alternative vision for the seafront area in line with history and based on what will be of benefit to future generations. We strongly oppose any vision which includes large scale apartments and will work to build up a large campaign of protest. We will be ensuring that the campaign is not infiltrated by people who secretly support the development. We are not opposed to development in general and support investment in the town centre but we are completely opposed to luxury for profit apartments at our beach.
Contact information
To be added to our email list : savebrayseafront@gmail.com
Press or other queries: 086 154 08 03 / 085-765 9347
Comments (13 of 13)
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Related links: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/93342
www.bebo.com/savebrayseafront
New Group forms to oppose the so called “Riveria” apartments at Bray seafront
A new group entitled “Save Bray Seafront” is forming to oppose current plans to build large scale apartments at the Star Leisure/ Dawsons site and will campaign to maximize the number of objections against the project which is completely out of scale with the town’s Victorian History and seaside Legacy. Already the group has received a number of hits on the internet and intends to link up with other groups to protect the coastline.
Local Ballybrack ward People before Profit Cllr. Hugh Lewis say’s:
“Bray Seafront is a much valued public amenity that is enjoyed by the people of Bray and beyond, any plans to part privatise the area will be met with stiff opposition and people power. Any development of the seafront should be for the people of Bray only, not for private greed.”
Dun Laoghaire P.B.P.A and chair of the Save our Seafront campaign Cllr. Richard Boyd Barrett say’s:
“Several years ago we led a campaign to stop the private development on the site of Dun Laoghaire Baths, now developers have their eyes on Bray Seafront too. After years of failed unnecessary private developments that have led to the current economic crisis, it is outrageous that such plans could ever be considered. We fully support the objectives of the newly founded Save Bray Seafront campaign.”
Speaking this week campaigner and former election candidate Wayne Tobin said:
“ I do not believe that current plans for the seafront area in the best interests of future generations and will vehemently oppose any plans to build apartments in the region-its not just the scale but such eyesores are of no benefit to the wider community but instead part of the culture of greed which centers on rushed ‘for profit’ bad planning”
Further information : 085 765 9347
Having lived in Bray all my life, it is sickening to see the way the commercial hub and heart of the down has died a death over the past ten years while towns around us like Arklow etc., have grown from strength to strength.
We need to bring back the commercial centre to Main Street as at the moment there is absolutely nothing there to attract anyone to the town and even the locals are shopping elsewhere.
For heavens sake we don't even have a cinema with the huge population of ours. Those who head to Dundrum to the cinema once or twice a week also shop there so no wonder business is dead on Bray Main Street.
Look at the number of shops closed and for rent. Nobody wants them.
Look at the eyesore on the main street of the buildings propped up and large gaps where the Florentine, another white elephant, was supposed to be.
There should definitely be no commercial apartments down on the beach to take away the original Victorian look of our seafront.
The railings shown in the photo along the promenade were very attractive and known the world over on postcards from Bray. They should be repainted again in their vibrant blue and orange.
There has been talk of casino and slot machines coming to the town possibly where the Royal Cinema stood. We do not want gambling and gaming in our town. With the way the Government is treating us we are almost penniless and the most disadvantaged in our society will be the very ones who will go and spend their dole in those casinos and gamgling dens if they are allowed to come into our town.
Therefore the real locals, the salt of the earth Bray people who have lived and loved our town all our lives want it left alone no developers in to make a quick buck thank you very much. They are a blight on the landscape in many of our towns around the country and Bray is definitely not going to join them with our Action Committees and groups ready to take a stand against them.
It appears to me that no proper public consultation exists in the planning process and communities must merely rubber stamp decisions. We need radical refrom of the pallnning process where ordinary people have a say over the kind of development that occurs in the area they live.
View without Benidorm Apartments
Our seafront
It's not just in Bray but throughout the country that this is happening. Many moons ago I visited Bray on a very regular basis and must say when I heard the HEIGHT of the proposed development from a relative in the town I was disgusted. So this campaign has my thumbs up and get the slot machines out while you are at it!
One only has to take a trip along the Dart line to Bray in order to see the beauty of the coastline coming in to Bray. The vista from the Dart sweeping along the curve of Killiney Bay and along to Bray with the majestic Bray Head standing proudly overlooking our town is a joy to behold no matter how many times we view this beautiful panorama.
We always make sure our friends and visitors travel at least once on the Dart to Bray to get this magnificent view, unspoilt by centuries and left as nature intended, the small town of Bray nestling under the protective gaze of Bray Head.
Having travelled twice along the coast in Naples Italy this coastline mirrors the Italian coast - where they have the Bay of Naples sweeping along to the magnificance of Vesuvio we have our magnificent sweep of Killiney Bay ending with our own towering and magnificent Bray Head. Such beauty should be left as nature intended and not have high rise apartments such as you see in the Costas blighting this beautiful landscape.
The amusements and gambling dens at the beach in Bray have brought nothing but trouble to the town - undesirables from other areas coming out to cause trouble and mayhem, litter our streets, get into drunken fights on the beach and break into cars. We are well off without them and the litter they throw around giving us the unenviable title of Dirty Old Bray.
What Bray needs is a commercial heart and new businesses brought to the town centre of Main Street. Main Street has DIED a death in the past ten years having been passed out by commercial innovations in Arklow and other County Wicklow towns while Bray lingered in the doldrums and slid downhill in the commercial rankings in County Wicklow yet it is the main town in the County and the Gateway to the Garden of Ireland.
It is sad to see all the closed down businesses on Main Street with For Rent signs in the windows and nobody wants to rent them just to go out of business through lack of trade.
For a town of its size to think we don't even have a cinema with our growing population. The residents of Bray have to travel to Dundrum once or twice a week to the cinema and while there naturally enough and a credit to them they also do their weekly shopping because they have a choice around them and may as well make it a worthwhile journey.
There is nothing in Bray for the young except pubs and drinking and getting drunk and abusive on our streets. You only have to look at the gangs of youths walking our streets day and night and intimidating the older citizens to see how far downhill the town has gone. Law and order has broken down with lack of facilities.
There are laws against such behaviour of gangs intimidating older folk like this, drinking in public places and doing damage to parked cars and local property. Our guardian's of the peace the Garda Siochana should be active on the streets curbing such behaviour in our town but they seem to be otherwise occupied doing the heavies for local Parish Priests instead of ending the unsocial behaviour of drinking along the promenade and shelters there and on street corners around Quinsboro Road and near other Off Licences in the Vevay every night of the week. Are they not employed to rid us of such nuisances in our town? Who wants to walk the streets of Bray only to be accosted by drunken yobs with not one member of the Gardai in sight?
If the developers want to come to our town it should be to build social facilities for the youth of Bray and older folk and families. We do not want high rise Benidorm style apartments taking away the Victorian look of our shoreline and beach. They come in build an ugly development that leaves a blot forever on our God given landscape and then take off again with the profits in their pockets while the developments attract all the wrong people and fall into decay.
Beautiful Bray needs badly to regain that title. The once proud town with a heart and a commercial centre on Main Street needs to be resurrected with an input of good shops and businesses to bring life back into the town and to make us all proud once again of our Beautiful Bray heritage.
Thanks to everyone who turned up this evening. Photos coming soon. Members of the public who we spoke to felt that the apaertments who not suit the seafront area.
The recession should not become an escuse for bad planning.
Protest
While you are saving the world and the rest why not fight to get the slot machines out of the kip? My family was TORN APART because of a certain UN-NAMED Bray amusements that (fact) gives FREE tea and coffee and also holds a christmas party with FREE drink THE DAY THE SOCIAL WELFARE XMAS BONUS IS GIVEN OUT! Thats how low it goes. Goodbye Bray and I'm glad to be out of one very CORRUPT little town. But good luck to you.
That sounds like a legimate issue and perhaps one that not many people are aware of. Perhaps you should start your own campaign on this issue
A public meeting will take place on Friday August 14th in the Strand Bar at 8pm.
Save-Our-Seafront Public Meeting
Friday August 14th 8pm Strand Bar
Welcome to all those opposed to inappropriate development.
Speakers include
Cllr Hugh Lewis People Before Profit Alliance and Save Our Seafront Dun Laoire.
Wayne Flanagan- Tobin Community Activist ( Chairing).
Local Residents.
Please come along.
For further information please call or text 085-765 9347 .
Hi folks, i find the issue very interesting and at same time quite amusing !!!Your fighting over the construction of this new project but at same time have for years turned a blind eye to the gambling that has destroyed so many peoples lifes in bray which is operating on an illegal basis regarding the current laws,however the local guards have turned a bling eye on this and left casinos to operate on what can only be called a skys the limit cash intake!!!!Maybe if so many hadnt turned a blind eye in past to this ,the current proposers of this site would not be in a financial position to undertake such a devolopment,,,,,so why not aswell as putting and focusing all attentions on the project i suggest you take a stand on gambling side of things here regarding more so on laws and controls of these establishments ,,i mean if there is no gambling on the seafront there certainly isnt going to be a reason for this devolopment,,,have think bout this and good luck .
According to your Bebo page you support the summer activities ??????. How can you claim to be interested in saving bray beach and support this farce that goes on every summer. The house I was rared in was on the Seafront. Every summer we used to spend all our time Cycling, Skateboarding , Playing football and Wind surfing. With the exception of the latter all the other activities have been banned , yet , every summer, tacky carnivals and overpriced silly kids rides destroy the Beautiful grass areas and block up the wonderful path ways that the above activities are banned from. On top of this the bandstand ( Which, again when I was a young child growing up, was used to help promote bands and acts and was designed in a manner for all seafront users to see , is covered in disgusting plastic bin liners with an opening that can only be seen from the frequenters of the Martello and Porter house as they consume Alcohol......A great set up for Families!!!! I grew up on the seafront having a wonderful childhood. I intended to raise my kids the same and spent every weekend bringing them up and down the promenade on their bikes and playing football despite the signs telling me not too. I now have to stop doing this during the summer months and yesterday ( November 2011 ) I went for a run and almost got stuck while running on the so called grass area as it had to be completely dug up and grass replanted after the horrible carnival left. The area is still destroyed despite it being November and I think its farcical that there are signs up (even the one that was destroyed by fumes from one of the diesel generator's) banning sporting activities for kids.
So I believe if you are genuinely interested in the good of bray seafront you should remove your agreement that you support the summer activities.
Also you should add to your list the removal of those anti-family signs banning the most basic and health promoting activities like cycling , skateboarding and football and also removing those horrible Space style lights and re-instigate the beautiful Georgian style lamps that were there some years ago. The planners must not have been told that this was a Georgian seafront. I agree with the Blue railings.
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-prop...89621
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