Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I bring to the attention of the House a NAMA auction due to take place tomorrow at the Clarion Hotel in Lucan, County Dublin. It concerns 274 acres of land adjoining St. Edmundsbury near Lucan in County Dublin. The Liffey Valley Park Alliance believes this land should form part of the green belt stretching from Islandbridge to Straffan in County Kildare. This could be a social dividend from NAMA's activities. I support the alliance and call for the Government to secure this land at St. Edmundsbury to be used as the Liffey Valley natural park. These lands are of great importance in terms of heritage and there is a great eco-tourism opportunity, providing a major amenity not just for Dublin but for the country as a whole. It would be a place to welcome not just domestic tourists but visitors from overseas.

Mechanisms could be used to secure the land, and the National Lottery Bill amendments allow for environmental interests to be included in the list of causes that the national lottery can support. I am aware that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, has been a prominent advocate for the protection of the site and was successful in getting restrictive land zoning for the Liffey Valley area included in the 2010 county development plan. If the State cannot secure these lands because of the possibility of legislative amendments being required, I ask that tomorrow's sale be called off to allow time for the matter to be dealt with.