Sections of Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk in ‘imminent danger’ of collapse

By Hugh O'Farrell Walsh, The Wicklow People

Members of the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk Management Committee have been told sections of the route are “in imminent danger of collapse and the public should not use it”.

The committee received a presentation from RPS Consultants Ltd at their latest meeting on February 25, (their third meeting in the space of a month), which highlighted further land sliding and regression on the Greystones side, specifically in areas previously identified as having the highest risk of failure.

New cracks have developed in the pathway itself, indicating it could fail at any moment without prior warning. Specialists are being appointed to carry out rope-access inspections of the cliffs on the Bray side in the coming weeks.

Wicklow County Council has officially commenced talks with affected landowners on the Greystones side regarding the proposed rerouting of the path.

It was noted that if agreements cannot be reached through discussion, the council is prepared to initiate compulsory purchase proceedings to secure the necessary land.

Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) have been considered and publicly discussed for several years as a "last resort" to resolve the ongoing closure of the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk.

The need for CPOs was identified shortly after the walk's closure in March 2021. By late 2022, officials admitted that voluntary negotiations with a key landowner on the Greystones side had failed to reach a breakthrough.

A critical delay occurred in December 2022 when Greystones district officials revealed the CPO process could not start due to a lack of specialised staff and a "significant workload" on existing administrative teams.

The delay in securing the land meant that early funding—such as the €198,000 approved in 2021—could not be utilised and has since seen multiple extensions.

The council is making one final approach to property owners to purchase the land required for rerouting the path inland.

Jackie Carroll, who is the district manager for the Bray Municipal District, recently told committee members that if these discussions are not productive, the local authority is now prepared to initiate formal CPO proceedings.

Under Irish law, the council can compulsorily acquire land for "public infrastructure projects for the common good", provided they compensate the owner to a position where they are no better or worse off financially.

Generating a CPO involves massive amounts of legal documentation and meticulous mapping of the proposed new route options.

Even if initiated now, the CPO process itself often takes 12 to 18 months to finalise if appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála, contributing to the "conservative" 36-month estimate for reopening.

A conservative estimate for rerouting just one kilometre of the walk approximately 50 metres inland—the preferred long-term solution requiring land acquisition—is around €1 million. This includes land acquisition/CPO costs, consultant and legal fees alongside fencing and trail construction.

Council officials have suggested a "ballpark" final bill of €8 million to €10 million to address the seven high-risk areas and make the cliff faces safe.

The council recently requested initial government funding worth between €200,000 and €300,000 to begin the next phase of detailed design and landowner negotiations.

For some historical context, in a separate 2011 CPO for an approx. 3.5-acre site behind Burnaby Lawn along the Three Trout River in Charlesland, the council was required to borrow €3 million to complete a purchase based on historic values, illustrating the high potential cost of land in the area.

Another proposal discussed involved opening a pathway north of the danger zone on the Greystones side down to the North Beach, allowing walkers to bypass the unstable section via the shoreline.

The members also received a progress update on ongoing procurement of contractors to undertake detailed slope investigations and methodology required for the Bray side, all subject to environmental considerations.

In a lengthy statement, committee chair Cllr Erika Doyle reiterated that the group is united in working with the council to find a safe way forward, despite the "frustrating" and "challenging" nature of the project.

“The latest committee meeting proved useful, both in terms of receiving the most recent updates from consultants RPS and discussing next steps. I'm delighted that approaches have now been made to the landowners on the Greystones side, and I hope these talks are productive and proceed with a sense of urgency.

“Assessment continues the Bray side and specialists will carry out detailed inspections of the cliffs using rope equipment in the coming weeks. While I understand the frustration from the people who miss the walk, I want to reassure the public that the necessary work is taking place behind the scenes to get us to the next stage of this challenging project.

“Meanwhile the message from RPS is stark. The Cliff Walk is unsafe and becoming more unsafe by the day. I urge people to take note of the safety advice and not access the walk at this time.”

Cllr Joe Behan, who is a member of the committee, stated it is his "honest opinion" that the amenity is currently not safe. He noted that consultant reports clearly show sections liable to subside at any time and overhead rocks that could fall without warning.

He confirmed that the council received "very strong legal advice" from barrister Carol O’ Farrell on January 29, which effectively leaves them with no choice but to keep the walk closed until remediation is complete.

Despite the public demand for reopening, Cllr Behan warned that they are "realistically looking at three years" for the necessary works to be done.

He vowed to work "relentlessly" with the committee to ensure the final timescale is “as short as humanly possible".

Cllr Behan previously championed a move away from a "zero-risk" approach and formally proposed that the council adopt a "European approach" to safety, which distinguishes between natural "objective" dangers and human "subjective" dangers—a motion that was unanimously agreed upon by the committee in late January 2026.

Cllr Behan remains a vocal supporter of the Friends of the Cliff Walk and Bray Coast Care, criticising other political parties for blocking the latter group from formal committee membership at a recent district meeting.

He continues to be highly critical of the council's decision to exclude the media from these committee meetings, arguing that because he could not invite reporters, he would continue to provide his own reports to the public via social media to maintain transparency and accountability.

The Friends of the Cliff Walk group have renewed their call for a reopening by St Patrick’s Day 2026. They argue that "simple, safe, short-term solutions" exist if the council would only implement them.

Wicklow County Council and RPS Consultants have effectively ruled out this deadline, as Bray Head is a Special Area of Conservation, any works must undergo strict screening under the EU Habitats Directive, which the council states cannot be bypassed for a quick reopening.

However, the group continue to argue that the path could be made safe in a "matter of hours" by moving it five metres inland at slippage points, rather than waiting for years of engineering reports.

Ironically, while the walk remains closed, Greystones is planning their St Patrick's Day Parade with the theme ‘From Shore To Sea’, celebrating the town's connection to the sea and coastal landscapes.