Little Sugar Loaf’s Big Day

There’s plenty of cheer – and beers – in Kilmacanogue tonight as the fight to save The Little Sugar Loaf from houses and a new link road to Bray has ended in a knockout.

It was actually on Monday that Wicklow County Council voted to accept amendments to their plans to rezone lands in Kilmacanogue – much of it on or adjacent to The Little Sugar Loaf.

With Kilmacanogue fighting the closure of their post office, ongoing N11 traffic jams and increasing accidents, and the privatisation of their bus service, the residents have had to pull together. We attended the first residents meeting back in September 2017, as a plan of action was hatched, and one of the local organisers of the fightback to save the local landmark, David Devine, has just issued the following statement…

Following yesterday’s council vote on Monday 15th of January, 2018 regarding the proposed new road and secondary re-zoning of lands in Kilmacanogue as part of The Wicklow County Development Plan 2016-2022, we are delighted to report that the wishes of the community have been honoured.

We would like to give a mention to both Councillor Christopher Fox & Councillor Steven Matthews, who proposed the amendments to the plan, and to the councillors who supported it.

As a direct result of the proposed amendments, the original plan to construct a new road linking to Bray and the secondary re-zoning for the slopes of Little Sugarloaf have been removed.

Instead of the road as originally planned – which would have essentially connected us to Bray – along with the re-zoning of lands – which would have led to the destruction of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – the plan now provides for the construction of a Cul de Sac service road for the safety of the homes on the southbound side of the N11, along with the removal of the secondary zoning of the lower slopes of Little Sugarloaf.

Congratulations to the Friends of Little Sugarloaf, who tirelessly campaigned to protect the mountain, and have played such a large part to play in the outcome of yesterday’s vote. And thanks again to all who made a submission of objection to the council. For now, we have managed to protect our village from unnecessary stealth planning – at least, for another 6 years.

Our next step is the establishment of a civic committee to strengthen and unify the voice of our wonderful community and to act as a point of contact when it comes to matters such as this in the future. Details will be posted regarding the initial meeting to set up the committee in due course.

If you wish to be a part of the committee or have something to contribute for the good of our community please email your interest to news@kilmacanogue.ie. In the meantime, you can check out our Sugar Loaf archives here, and our Kilmacanogue archives here.