Plans to assess EU-protected cliffs progress as major Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk tender develops
The Wicklow PeopleWicklow County Council and its engineering consultants expect to carry out anchor installation on protected cliffs within the Bray Head Special Area of Conservation (SAC) as part of the effort to reopen the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk.
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act, which include emails, technical drawings and a presentation given to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), show that the project is still at an early stage and that the work required is more extensive than previously understood.
The documents outline how Tetra Tech, the engineering firm hired by the council, has identified several parts of the Cliff Walk where the rock faces are unstable and at risk of collapse.
Bray Air Display. Spectators on Bray Head. © Leigh Anderson
In an email to NPWS, the firm explains that engineers will use rope access teams to carry out “non‑destructive investigations of the rock faces” and install anchors using “low impact methods for gaining access to the cliffs and setting anchors”.
These investigations will take place inside the Bray Head SAC, an area protected under EU law due to its sensitive habitats, including vegetated sea cliffs and dry heath. As a result, the works require ecological screening and NPWS approval before contractors can be appointed.
A presentation delivered to NPWS in May 2026 gives a clearer picture of the scale of the problem. It notes that a 2025 assessment identified multiple high risk areas along the route, with unstable rock dominating the northern section and landslides affecting the southern stretch.
The presentation includes photographs of loose rock, tilting blocks and slipping slopes, showing the types of failures engineers expect to encounter.
It also contains maps marking out more than five kilometres of the Cliff Walk, with several sections labelled as posing “unacceptable” levels of risk. These areas are likely to require significant stabilisation before the route can reopen.
The documents confirm that surveys for breeding birds, plants, invasive species and protected mammals are already underway. A winter bird survey is scheduled for winter 2026, meaning that even the investigation phase cannot be completed until late 2027 at the earliest.
The presentation stresses that rope access investigations must be planned carefully to avoid disturbing sensitive wildlife and habitats, and that NPWS input is needed before the scope of works can be sent out for pricing.
The FOI reply makes clear that a significant part of the Cliff Walk project is already tied up in a sensitive tender process. In its decision letter of August 10, 2026, the Department of Housing said two records were withheld because they contain details about a tender Wicklow County Council is preparing.
The concern was that publishing the documents could disrupt or disadvantage the council’s procurement process.
The department also acknowledged that there is strong public interest in the Cliff Walk’s closure and an understanding of what is happening behind the scenes. However, it decided that protecting the integrity of the tender process outweighed releasing the documents.
The Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk was a popular 7km hike from Bray’s seafront to Greystones.
That route has been closed to the public since 2021, after a series of landslides and rockfalls rendered it unsafe to use.