On 11th September 2018, An Bord Pleanala refused planning permission on the St. Paul’s pitches at St. Anne’s. An Bord Pleanala’s initial decision was to grant permission, however, three parties sought a Judicial Review of this decision in the High Court. As this process got underway, An Bord Pleanala asked that their decision be quashed.
The decision was quashed and remitted back to An Bord Pleanala for review.
Following this review, the Board determined that a grant of planning permission on this site would contravene materially a development objective indicated in the Dublin City Development Plan (2016-2022) for the protection of European sites and permission was refused.
St. Paul’s is acknowledged as the most important ex-situ feeding site for the Brent Geese who winter on the North Bull Island Special Protection Area. They like to eat the short, sweet grass that grows here and they are protected from dogs and other animals in the park by, ironically, the St. Paul’s fence. However, the landowner at St. Paul’s has now ceased to maintain the grass at St. Paul’s and it has been allowed to grow all summer without a cut. As we approach winter, anticipating the return of the Brent Geese to Ireland, we are very concerned that they will not be able to return the St. Paul’s lands, where their preferred habitat has been effectively eliminated. The loss of this feeding ground may have other impacts on other even rarer species of birds who feed on the St. Paul’s fields and who were not properly accounted for in the landowners environmental impact assessments of this land.
We are calling on the relevant Minister, Josepha Madigan, at the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht, to compel the land owner to cut the grass on this important feeding site.
Please sign our petition to the Minister https://www.change.org/p/minister-josepha-madigan-td-cut-the-grass-at-st-paul-s-for-the-brent-geese
