By Sarah Curran
DAMAGE to Donaghadee’s historic seawall was avoidable had warnings been taken seriously, it has been claimed.
A section of Donaghadee’s seawall was left in disrepair last Friday, in the wake of stormy conditions which caused the collapse of a portion of the historic sea barrier at The Parade in the town.
The damage occurred only a day after fresh calls had been made for urgent action to protect the historic harbour from further storm damage, following a recent meeting with representatives of Donaghadee Sailing Club and senior Belfast Harbour officials.
Leading the most recent call for action just last week, North Down MLA Peter Martin, had highlighted the concerns about the impact of storms on the iconic harbour, which celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2021, saying he believed the only ‘effective’ way to protect the seawall was with an offshore breakwater.
It is envisioned that the breakwater, which is a permanent structure often made of stone and absorbs wave energy, would cost in the region of £15m.
However, following the partial collapse of the seawall, local representatives say they are ‘irritated’, that despite their many calls for intervention over the years, nothing had been done, adding that a proactive approach was needed, rather than a reactive one.
Mr Martin, said that while damage to the seawall was ‘inevitable’ it could have been avoidable had action been taken years ago and a breakwater placed outside the harbour.
The DUP man said: “This inaction simply cannot continue otherwise we will lose the rest of the seawall, businesses will continue to get water damaged and someone could get seriously hurt.”
Mr Martin continued: “It is clear to me that both the Alliance DAERA Minister Andrew Muir and the Sinn Fein Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmons [whose departments are responsible for the Coastal Erosion Forum] must now take action on this issue alongside Ards and North Down Borough Council.
“This week I spoke to the Commissioner of Irish Lights who owns the Lighthouse to make her aware of the damage that was being done to both the harbour wall and our sea wall. I have a meeting with the Chief Executive of Ards and North Down Borough Council coming up shortly with a one item agenda, Donaghadee Harbour.
“Inaction on this is no longer an option if we want to protect Donaghadee for future generations.”
Also calling for action, North Down MLA Stephen Dunne said the situation was ‘concerning’, noting how debris from the recent damage was a ‘hazard’.
“Public safety must be the immediate priority,” he said. The DUP man continued that the incident underlined the ‘growing threat of coastal erosion right along our coastline’.
“We need more than short-term fixes, we need a proper, long-term strategy and actions to protect our coastal communities through a multi-agency approach,” he said.
“I will keep pressing until action is delivered. I have engaged with local groups for a number of years on this matter, and a considerable body of work and research was completed by the Donaghadee Community Development Association alongside Donaghadee Sailing Club.”
North Down’s two Alliance MLAs have also called for an investment in coastal defences. Connie Egan said as adverse weather conditions continue to worsen year on year, ‘it is essential that we have a long term plan to combat the very real impact on our coastal communities’.
Andrew Muir said the impact of climate change is clearly being experienced at Donaghadee’s seafront. “For the sake of the preservation of this historic part of the town, we must prepare for more extreme storms in the time ahead,” said the Minister for Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs.
“In my Ministerial role, I have been awaiting Executive approval for Northern Ireland’s third Climate Change Adaptation Programme for several months now. We cannot afford to dither and delay on climate action and measures needed to adapt to the new reality of rising temperatures.
Bangor East and Donaghadee alderman Mark Brooks said he felt ‘ashamed and embarrassed’ to see the state of the breached wall. The UUP politician has made calls for officials to address the damage caused by climate change to the local area over the years.
Speaking about last week’s breach, Mr Brooks said he was ‘irritated’ that having asked the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) for repairs to the seawall following roadworks and ‘constant battering from storms’, the structure had collapsed.
“The Department is being reactive, not proactive. Local residents understandably feel let down by the government,” he said. “I was there witnessing the horrendous storm, the flooding of Lemons Wharf, organising sandbags for local businesses, people coming out of local restaurants on the seafront and having no choice but to wade through several inches of water.
“I have warned before about the state of the seawall and reported directly to the Department, yet nothing happens. The hole in the wall is symbolic of the bigger hole in our government – it isn’t working,” he said, adding that he felt ‘powerless’ that issues raised by constituents were not being met by solutions due to the many ‘hurdles’ of government.
Bangor East and Donaghadee councillor James Cochrane said it felt ‘deeply frustrating’ that despite multiple warnings to DfI, what was ‘feared has now become a reality’.
He added that he felt the town had been ‘failed by underinvestment and a lack of proper care’ for the seawall, adding that the need for an outer breakwater ‘has never been more apparent’.
He said: “The stark reality is that without urgent action, Donaghadee’s historic harbour is at real risk. We will be meeting with council officers to press for a clear and effective response to the increasing threats it faces.”
