Enniskerry Now Officially Disenchanted

Enniskerry 25SEPT21

t’s a tune that many in Greystones, Delgany and the surrounding areas can certainly hum along to.

Wicklow County Council throwing another few hundred houses on top of an already crippled infrastructure.

Largely because the levies from this particular corner of Wicklow pays for the upkeep of every other corner.

After our interview with Delgany Community Council chair Paul Armstrong on Wednesday, Penny Colley from Save Enniskerry today takes the floor.

Wise Penny

During the silly season, applications popped up around Enniskerry for 320 new homes. To add to the many, many others already desperately trying to muscle in on the village and those already approved or built. We spoke with Penny back in September about one such development, Cairn Homes’ 165 houses on Cookstown Road, breezily given the traditional Strategic Housing Development thumbs up by An Bord Pleanála in August.

Take it away, Ms Colley…

If you were a resident of Enniskerry over Christmas it wasn’t as relaxing as you may have hoped.

Trying to catch locals unawares as they were distracted by last minute festive preparations, the onslaught of new and revised planning applications saw boards being erected all over the village making residents increasingly Disenchanted and questioning whether this picture postcard village is the correct location for such developments.

Already somewhat embattled, residents – already seeking Judicial Review for the inappropriate estate approved by ABP on the narrow Cookstown Road for 165 units, and battling a recurring application at Parknasilloge that now stands at 219 units (and will have far reaching impact on the protected Knocksink Woods) – were not prepared for the constant hammering of more site planning boards to hit this small village.

Additionally, the Crimmins Garage site is looking for residential and business premises, right on the banks of the river. The equestrian site, behind the fruit and veg shop, wishes to become in excess of 40 residential units, and let’s not forget the already completed Sika Woods that looms over Kilgarron hill, plus Powerscourt’s latest addition, right outside their gates and adjacent to the national school, which will contain 26 large family residences backing onto the protected Lovers Leap Lane.

Kilgarron Hill artist’s impression

That’s over 400 new family homes in a small village with a bus service that is intermittent at best and entirely absent at worst, oversubscribed primary schools that don’t feed into any secondary schools, limited services for the elderly, and minimal job opportunities for the younger. Instead, there are winding country roads adorned with cyclists, walkers and horse riders and a community that cares for and protects the endangered species that reside within the hedgerow and undergrowth.

The need for adequate housing in Ireland is understood, but Wicklow County Council’s desire to fatten their gooses without consideration for the beauty and wildlife of an area, and without thought or planning for its infrastructure and services, will lead to irreversible environmental and social damage that will be catastrophic to village life.

The only way to stop our once enchanted Enniskerry from succumbing to the clutches of the wicked planners is to speak up. Have your say by objecting to any one of the developments and let Wicklow County Council know that this is a community and a village worth protecting.

More information can be found at the saveenniskerry Facebook page or by emailing [email protected].