An investigation was initiated on October 17, and a site visit was carried out by Department officials, which found that six trees had been felled.
There has been widespread condemnation at the destruction of the trees, as they are situated in an ancient wetland and biodiversity habitat in north Wicklow.
The Department’s Alleged Illegal Felling Section have issued cease and desist notices to the owners of the site, and the investigation is currently ongoing.
The clearance has taken place on land at Bellevue Hill in Delgany (old La Touche Bellevue Demesne), adjacent to Kindlestown Woods. where a 197-acre plot came on to market last year with a guide price of €6.5m.
The site previously had planning permission for a golf club, and it is understood that about half of the lands were formerly in state ownership though Coillte, which sold the land to a private buyer, some 25 years ago.
100 acres of the land have been sold since it was put on the market in September 2024, although the identity of the purchaser remains unclear. A ladies’ GAA club based in Greystones, Éire Óg, reached an agreement in June to purchase 29 acres.
Wicklow Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, who last year launched a petition for the State to buy the land, has actively called on the State to consider the proposal, while also holding a public meeting on the issue. On October 21, through a parliamentary question, she asked the junior housing minister Christopher O’Sullivan, for an update on the proposed purchase of the remaining lands.
She was told that the National Parks and Wildlife Service “occasionally purchases land for strategic and conservation purposes”, where the environmental and operational benefits of a site are weighed against the overall cost.
“In light of the commercial sensitivity of these considerations and the strategic implications of bringing these considerations into the public domain, I am not in a position to comment on any individual site that is offered for sale,” he said.
At the October meeting of Wicklow County Council, councillors opted to bring the land into the Delgany-Greystones urban area following a vote, and to zone it for future development as active open space to facilitate community endeavours such as sports clubs.
Public consultation for this and other amendments are open to the public to allow for submissions until Friday, November 21.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme