Bellevue Tree Felling To Be Investigated

The Bellevue site THURS16OCT25

t was back on Thursday, October 16th that local conservationist Yasmin Fortune noticed trees being felled on Bellevue Hill.

Access was being created for what was set to become a new Eire Óg pitch, but the clearing came as a shock to many locals.

And, once they’d been alerted, to the Department of Agriculture too.

The local GAA HQ was quick to point out when we got in touch that they were not a party to the works, had no knowledge of the works and, given that they don’t yet own the land, could not have, by extension, authorised the works.

Just who did authorise the tree felling should be known by the auctioneers dealing with the sale, O’Neill & Flanagan, they reckoned. We emailed the duo on October 20th, but still haven’t received an answer.

For their part, Wicklow County Council told us that there are no tree preservation orders noted for this area in the County Development Plans, local councillors having decided at their October 6th meeting for a Material Amendment EM14 to the Local Planning Framework. Which meant the land was basically rezoned as Active Open Space, and Eire Óg Greystones could then have their much-needed new pitch.

The 197 acres at Bellevue

For local eco campaigner Keith Scanlon, the fact that it appears no environmental impact assessment was carried out on the 29 acres, and that Wicklow County Council’s Chief Executive Emer O’Gorman apparently advised strongly against the rezoning, raises some serious questions about the planning amendment.

For now, it’s down to The Department Of Agriculture to solve the mystery of who was perhaps a little too digger-happy up on Bellevue Hill, where 100 acres of a 197-acre site was sold to persons still unknown back in July. Young Whitmore has been campaigning for over a year to have the land bought by the Government for nature reservation and public access. As a thank you for all the lovely, lucrative houses we’ve had built around here.

Public consultation for the zone change to the Bellevue site as part of the Local Planning Variation are open to the public to allow for submissions until November 21st.