Tramore’s celebrated Doneraile Walk, which has adorned picture postcards of the resort sent all over the world for a century and a half, is looking "unkempt and sad", according to a local councillor.
Cllr. Joe Conway (Independent) frequents the walk daily, and says "many others make similar remarks to me."
"One irate resident of the town said that it looks as if it is ready for silage. It is one of the most frequent queries I have had in the last few weeks – what on earth is going on with the Doneraile? When I convey to them that it is an initiative to propagate wilding in the area, it is a response that is often greeted with disbelief."
Efforts are underway from a biodiversity perspective to rewild the area, but Cllr. Conway has questioned whether it is wholly necessary.
"People cite the abundance of green areas around the town – the estuary road, nature park, Ring Road, golf club, race course, cliff road, backstrand, dunes and a legion of others, where flora and fauna thrive. In fact, few towns would have such a natural diversity. The question then is – is it really necessary to allow this signal amenity area to run to wilderness?".
Cllr. Conway says that he supports extensive wilding initiatives, but "we should have a sensible policy relating to parkland and scenic areas."
"The presentation crews from the Council do quite amazing work at displaying the city and county in all its splendour. They are getting wrongly criticised for a policy that they have to operate. With an estimated one in four of the population suffering from hayfever, our scarce enough parkland amenities are becoming no-go areas for a significant number of people. We need to urgently review this measure in Waterford City and County Council."
