It Takes A Village Protest

ust as Greystones woke up to a whole new main drag in September last year, Enniskerry is bracing itself for a plethora of Part 8 Renewal changes.

To some, it would appear that Wicklow County Council have been using all this lockdown downtime to do a little undercover landscaping.

And once again, some of the local peasants are revolting.

Leading the charge is the Town Clock Group, who put together a petition of objection to not only the proposals but also how they were being introduced at a time when the entire country was ostensibly spending its days in pyjamas.

The petition garnered 700 signatures, but, as is so often the case, it seems to have landed firmly in Wicklow County Council’s spam folder. With a village of great historic significance – and beauty, of course – this particular band of conservationists aren’t giving up the fight though.

“We’re not averse to change,” says local activist Pat Carey when we met at the town clock. “It’s just important to make sure that any changes actually work, and that not even one inch of the incredible history here is concreted over…”

Adds fellow campaigner Jackie Vickers, “This village is so small, any change at all can suddenly cause daily traffic jams, or worse, collisions. As has already happened with a ridiculous new bus stop…”

With the Enniskerry Village Renewal Part 8 plans now online here, and submissions and objections due from local residents by noon on Friday, May 28th, the Town Clock Group have created a template for anyone wishing to voice their concerns – which is downloadable here.

In the meantime, we caught up with young Jackie to find out more about those square proposals being suggested for this little round village…

Now, go check out our history of Enniskerry right about here.