Council says Coillte must protect Wexford woodland slowly disappearing into the sea – ‘It has plenty of money’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

The possibility of Wexford County Council (WCC) intervening to protect a beloved woodland from coastal erosion has been dismissed by a senior environmental engineer. While erosion in Courtown is nothing new, the most recent batch of storms have seen the coastline along the edge of the local woods begin to disappear.

And, at the February meeting of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District (GKMD), Councillor Pip Breen said the situation was fast becoming critical.

“The damage on the coast has led to a lot of trees falling onto the beach, the next stop is the golf club,” he said. “This is a disaster waiting to happen.”

Although the wood itself is owned by Coillte, Cllr Joe Sullivan asked whether WCC was in a position to apply for funding to protect it.

“That section is getting very little love from anyone while other areas are being looked after,” he said. “Someone is going to have to take control of it, or it will become a significant problem. Could the council take the lead on this?”

Environmental engineer Enda Brennan dismissed this idea out of hand.

“It’s Coillte's land, it has plenty of money. The money is required more in places where there are houses; Kilpatrick, Cahore, Kilgorman.”

With Cathaoirleach Donal Kenny fearing that the entire coastline was going to end up in “The Isle of Man”, and Cllr Sullivan suggesting “the country will be cut in two” by the time the issue is addressed, Mr Brennan did offer a sliver of hope for those who wished to see Courtown return to the tourist hotspot it once was.

“The Courtown problem needs to be tied in with the bigger marina project,” he said referencing WCC’s plans to restore a 500m stretch of the North beach by importing 225,000m3 of beach nourishment material and constructing sediment control structures to reduce future losses, and then deliver a new coastal infrastructure including vertical training walls which will provide shelter to a new c. 198 berth marina complex.

“Even if the marina project starts in three years time it’ll be six or seven years before this is complete,” protested Cllr Nicky Boland.

“The first phase is the beach nourishment and the second phase is the marina itself, the nourishment part of the project could happen in two years time,” replied Mr Brennan.