Necessary Steps For Cliff Walk Project At Least ’36 Months’

New day, new fence… Cliff Walk WEDS14JAN26

atest press release from Wicklow County Council, issued on Thursday, January 15th 2026…

The Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk Management Committee met on Wednesday, 14th January 2026.

The recently extended Committee, comprising increased representation of the elected members from both Bray and Greystones Municipal Districts and external representation from Business Pillars and Local Interest groups received a presentation from RPS Consultants Ltd.

The presentation focused on the findings and summary of the report, proposed next steps, potential environmental screening requirements, the planning consent requirements, challenges and constraints and estimated timeline for delivery.

Bray Head is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and as such any plan or project is subject to screening for Appropriate Assessment under the EU Habitats Directive. This process aims to protect Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats.

RPS Ltd has undertaken preliminary assessments of the proposal to carry out works on the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk and has determined that such works may have a significant effect on the SAC and therefore extensive environmental surveys will be required under EU and national legislation.

Potentially the conservative timeline for undertaking the necessary steps to deliver this project is 36 months.

A comprehensive discussion ensued and the members of the Committee expressed their disappointment and frustration about the potential timelines outlined and the continued closure of the walk. Possible alternative engineering solutions were discussed. RPS were requested to examine any options that could possibly reduce the timeline of the project and report to the members at their next meeting.

Chairperson of the Committee, Councillor Erika Doyle, said, “While the timeline given for the proposed full remediation project is disappointing and not what any of us wanted to hear, we acknowledge that statutory processes such as planning applications, environmental assessments and procurement, stem from national and European legislation and cannot be bypassed.

“We will now investigate if other remediation methods might require a shorter lead in period and have asked the consultants to present again at our next meeting in February. The Committee is united in its aim of working with Wicklow County Council towards safely reopening the Cliff Walk in the shortest possible timeframe.

“I want to thank all of the community representatives who attended and have committed to participating in regularly scheduled meetings in the near future.”

Wicklow County Council is committed to progressing with the project in a diligent, safe and environmentally sound manner.

The Cliff Walk remains closed due to the significant safety concerns.

You can check out the full 2025 RPS report here, find out more about recent Cliff Walk shenanigans here, explore its history here, and check out Friends of The Cliff Walk here.