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The Dublin Bay Futures
conference organised by Ciarán Cuffe TD of the Green Party has
approved a Declaration on the Future of Dublin Bay.
The Conference was held on Saturday 8th April in the Kingston Hotel
in Dún Laoghaire, and was attended by over one hundred delegates
from around Dublin Bay and beyond. Speakers included Dick Gleeson
Dublin's City Planner, Michael Phillips the Dublin City Engineer,
Karin Dubsky of Coastwatch Europe, Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland
and Michael Collins of the Sutton to Sandycove Cycleway Proposal.
The Conference discussed the current quality of the Bay and debated
its future development and protection.
Tributes were paid to the late John deCourcy Ireland, the maritime
historian who passed away on the 4th April. A framed chart of the
Bay was presented by Ciarán Cuffe TD to Sean 'Dublin Bay' Loftus to
mark his lifelong work as a Dublin Bay 'watchdog'.
During the afternoon a range of political representatives debated
the future of Dublin Bay and supported the need to establish a
Dublin Bay Authority to manage, develop and protect the Bay. The
debate was chaired by James Nix, co-author with Frank McDonald of
'Chaos at the Crossroads', and speakers included Ciarán Cuffe TD,
Finian McGrath TD, Fiona O'Malley TD, and Councillors Gerry Breen
(Fine Gael), Jane Dillon-Byrne (Labour) and Killian Forde (Sinn
Fein).
Text of Declaration approved by delegates follows:
Declaration on Dublin Bay
Recognising the environmental, historical, economic, and
amenity value of the waters and lands surrounding Dublin Bay;
Acknowledging the improvements in water quality that have
occurred in recent years due to investment in sewerage
infrastructure;
Concerned at the pressures on the Bay from Dublin's growing
population, increasing port traffic, loss of green space, lack of
baseline date, Climate Change, and ongoing development;
Aware of the lack of coordination and need for greater
integration between the different remits and objectives of Dublin
City Council, Fingal County Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County
Council, Dublin Docklands Development Authority, Dún Laoghaire
Harbour Company, Dublin Port, the Department of Communications,
Marine and Natural Resources and other agencies;
Appreciative of the work undertaken by the Dublin Regional
Authority in setting up a Dublin Bay Discussion Forum, and of the
many voluntary bodies that have nurtured and protected the Bay over
the years,
Resolves that:
-A statutory body be set up to co-ordinate, manage, develop and
protect the waters and lands surrounding Dublin Bay;
- Greater provision and protection of the public amenities and
biodiversity of the Bay, and access for recreational purposes is
required;
- A building height and land-use master-plan be drawn up for the
lands around Dublin Bay in partnership with the communities, general
public and users of the Bay. This plan shall be developed in
conjunction with a Coastal Zone Management Plan for the Bay that
would protect the foreshore;
- Such plans shall be drawn up with full public participation as
provided for under the Aarhus Convention.
Dublin Bay Futures Conference , Kingston Hotel Dún Laoghaire, 8
April 2006
www.DublinBayFutures.Org
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