Residents outraged after learning details of covert luxury project: 'I was shocked'

Residents of a Northern Irish district are up in arms after the local authority covertly approved the removal of a number of trees to make way for a trio of luxury homes along a coastal path. 

According to the The Irish News, residents of North Down are unhappy with the decision to build three luxury homes, which has resulted in the destruction of many trees along a path at Swinley Bay. 

The plans did not go before the Ards and North Down Council Planning Committee, as is standard, but were instead approved by officials unilaterally in 2021 and 2022. 

Now that the actual construction and demolition are underway, officials say there's been considerable backlash in the form of protests. 

"As a keen walker and regular coastal path user, I was shocked to see the brutal destruction of woodland at the development site," said council alderman Martin McRandal.

"Photos really don't do it justice. We are investigating what can be done to effectively retrieve the situation. I have a lot of questions for the council's Planning Department."

The North Down Coastal Path is designated as a Special Protection Area, an Area of Scientific Interest, and is one of 175 Ramsar sites in the U.K., designating it for special wetland protection. 

Those protections seem to have been bypassed as part of the approval process for these homes. Meanwhile, crucial habitats have been destroyed, which can have severe consequences for local biodiversity. 

Previously, the council had planned to expand the coastal path in 2022, which led to widespread public outcry about the environmental impact and a unanimous rejection of the plan. 

Now, after getting no chance to have a voice in the construction of these homes, the public is incensed. 

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"The whole point of the outcry in 2022, against plans to widen and urbanize the coastal path, was about the spirit of the place being changed forever," said Louise Macartney, a representative of local group Greenspaces, Bangor and North Down. 

"Three-hundred people turned up at the Town Hall when the meeting was held, and the plan was unanimously rejected. So it's incredibly frustrating that no one had an opportunity to object to this development."

Macartney added that any planning must take into consideration locals and tourists and protect natural environments and public spaces. 

So far, it's unclear what can be done to stop the damage from continuing, but an online petition to revoke the permits for the build has hundreds of signatures.

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