506 
And now, as with so many such fields around here, all those trees and plants are now
WCC waited to clear the land until September, as per the requirements of the 1976 Wildlife act. It is
The Charlesland and Burnaby Mills sites. Pic: Hawkeye
t’s clear from the December 2020 aerial shot above that the field situated 
between the Charlesland and Burnaby Mills estate was one rich with life.
t’s clear from the December 2020 aerial shot above that the field situated 
between the Charlesland and Burnaby Mills estate was one rich with life.With the abundance of trees and plants came wildlife and biodiversity, all aided by the Three Trout River running through it.
And now, as with so many such fields around here, all those trees and plants are now 
gone, having been cleared by Wicklow County Council over the past few weeks, as they prepare to re-apply for planning permission on the site. First applied for in 2019, the 2022 boast of 80 social houses on the site was reportedly down to 75 a year later.
gone, having been cleared by Wicklow County Council over the past few weeks, as they prepare to re-apply for planning permission on the site. First applied for in 
Only trouble is, the WCC boys moved in and gave the place the kind of brutal Brazilian that would make even Bolsonaro cagar um tijolo.
“This reminds me of a sweeping clearance,” says Cllr Stephen Stokes. “like something you would see in South America for plantation farming.
“In addition to the tree management policy, I do not believe that the clearance matches up with the County Development Plan. I have been advised that this work has been carried out by the Housing Department of Wicklow County Council. Even if the Council decided that we absolutely need to clear the site for houses, I believe that we could have maintained the vegetation for several years, until the project is finalised.”
Cllr Stokes, out standing in his field
There have been a number of queries about the recent and continuing clearance of the land at Burnaby. The land was cleared by WCC at the request of the site investigation company employed by the PPP. There are carrying out extensive site investigations on the land in order to inform the proposed design and planning phase and is an essential part of the design of these housing units.
envisioned that construction could start as early as 2025.
2 comments
I despair when I read articles like this. There appears to be so little regard for the environment even though it’s the word on everybody’s lips. At what point will the ‘powers that be’ (whoever they are)! decide to actually do something practical to prevent it being destroyed. This looks like vandalism in the name of questionable progress.
It’s terrible to see the destruction . Did it have to be cleared to such an extent ? I think that is a very important point here. What was actually requested by the “site investigation company”? Did WCC question it? I think it is important we know the full communications. We need proper answers. Not the above “answer” which basically says we did because we were told to! Like a child in trouble saying “I did it Miss because Peter told me to!”.