Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

If the Minister of State follows the River Dodder, from near here up river for 29 km, he will pass a fantastic part of the country. He will come out towards Tallaght and Kiltipper on the right. Following the river to his left he will see the Glenasmole valley going past Bohernabreena where a lot of the water we drink comes from. He will then get into the valley, which is one of the most spectacular places in this country and matches anything in County Mayo, such as Croagh Patrick, in its beauty. It is a stunning wilderness and there is nothing there - not a shed and hardly a fence. It is a wildlife reserve to match any other. If one walks up to the source of the Dodder, which is hard to find on account of there being so many pools and tributaries, one will arrive at the top under Kippure mountain which is spectacular and looks out over Dublin. It is a huge wide valley with huge history, lore and heritage. No other capital city in Europe, or maybe the world, has what we have, which is the sea and the mountains, and this is an integral part of the mountains. The valley sits surrounded by 200,000 hectares of the Wicklow National Park which is a patchwork of areas including Lough Bray and Glencree. It is up for sale at the moment but we cannot let it go for sale and have to keep it in State ownership to be added to the Wicklow National Park, which it would grow by some 10%, providing an amazing facility for the people of this city and the whole country.

What contact has the Department had with NAMA on the subject of this land? The land came into the ownership of the State through a developer who was involved in the Dundrum town shopping centre and was not able to hold onto it. NAMA has put it up for sale with an auctioneer but we have to make sure it is not sold. It is of no development potential. Some 93% of the land is in the Wicklow SAC and one can do nothing with it, such as put up a wind farm or buildings. It is under freehold at the moment and we should get back control of it to use it as part of the Wicklow National Park.

There is only one difficulty, which is that it is in Dublin. If we can see beyond borders it could also be part of a Dublin mountain uplands park, as proposed by South Dublin County Council. Last week the council announced this as the centrepiece of its tourism strategy, suggesting it could bring in some €26 million and create 2,500 jobs. The Dublin mountain partnership, which I was involved in setting up, has been an amazing achievement in the past ten years. People walk, cycle and engage in all types of activities in the Dublin mountains and these 5,000 acres would be an incredible facility. I ask the Minister to make sure the National Parks and Wildlife Service intervenes and recognises that this has huge value to the State. NAMA cannot sell it as a social requirement was stitched into the legislation.

I am keen to hear what the National Parks and Wildlife Service thinks of this resource and what mechanisms we can find, at this late stage, to make sure it is not sold but kept for the people of this country to whom it belongs.

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