Cliff Walk Update: Committee Membership, Process, and Progress

In December 2025, at a full meeting of Wicklow County Council, it was agreed that the membership of the Cliff Walk Management Committee would be extended from two elected representatives to three.

At Bray Municipal District’s December meeting, I was nominated and voted onto the Cliff Walk Management Committee. I accepted this role fully aware that it would be a challenging committee, very much in the public eye, and subject to significant scrutiny. However, given the importance of the Cliff Walk to Bray, Greystones, and the wider county, I believed it was important to step forward.

Extension of the Committee

At the January full meeting of Wicklow County Council, Greystones Municipal District proposed that a fourth community representative be added to the committee from both Bray and Greystones. 

During that meeting, it was suggested that Bray Coastcare would be a suitable fourth community group for Bray. That evening, I received two emails, one from Friends of the Cliff Walk and one from Bray Coastcare, both lobbying for this position.

The following day, Bray Municipal District met to discuss the matter.

Considering the Right Expertise

Members of the cliff walk committee: 

Bray MD elected members: Cllr Erika Doyle (chair), Cllr Joe Behan, Cllr Malachi Duddy and Cllr Caroline Winstanley.  Bray Staff: District Manager, Town administrator and town engineer.  Eugene Finnegan (Bray Chamber rep), Representative from Bray Residents Alliance and a representative from the PPN (environmental pillar).

Greystones MD elected members: Cllr Stephen Stokes (vice chair), Cllr Mark Barry, Cllr Tom Fortune and Cllr Fenlon-Gaskin.  Greystones Staff: District Manager, Town administrator and town engineer.  Two members of Friends of the Cliff Walk, A business representative from East Coast Business network (also a member of Friends of the Cliff Walk) and a representative from the PPN (environmental pillar).

In advance of that meeting, I took time to consider the existing composition of the committee and whether there were any gaps in representation. When making decisions of this importance, I believe it is essential to consider options and ensure the right mix of expertise is in the room.

It was evident to me that there was no representative from either Bray or Greystones with a recreation or trails background, despite the fact that the Cliff Walk is a vital recreational amenity. With that in mind, I put forward an alternative suggestion: that a representative from the Trails Section of Sport Ireland could be considered for the role.

I outlined why I believed their expertise could benefit the committee, particularly given the technical and engineering challenges involved in reopening the Cliff Walk. This proposal was in no way a criticism of Bray Coastcare, whose work in the community I respect. Rather, it was about ensuring that we had the most relevant expertise available to help achieve our shared goal, reopening the Cliff Walk safely.

A Difficult Meeting

Unfortunately, my proposal was met with anger. I was told that I was disrespecting a community group and that I had put no thought into the suggestion. Anger was directed at me in an effort to have me withdraw my proposal.

As an elected representative, it is my responsibility to think critically, to put forward solutions, and to support or not support proposals based on what I believe is in the best interests of the community. That responsibility sometimes means proposing alternatives.

Both options were ultimately put to a vote. My proposal was carried following a fair and democratic process.

Despite this, I was shouted at and criticised for putting the proposal forward. Since then, a one-sided account of the meeting has circulated in the press, incorrectly suggesting that I disrespected Bray Coastcare. I want to be clear that this was never the case.

First Committee Meeting and Current Status

Last week, we held our first meeting of the Cliff Walk Management Committee. Everyone around the table shares the same objective: reopening the Cliff Walk as soon as possible.

It was difficult to hear the projected timelines for reopening, and it does make me wish that this process had begun immediately after the initial rockfall occurred.

RPS presented a very detailed and sobering engineering report. What makes this project particularly complex is the protected status of Bray Head. Any works that interact with the protected cliffs trigger an Appropriate Assessment under habitats legislation. This means the council cannot proceed through the Part 8 planning process and must instead apply to An Bord Pleanála, which significantly lengthens timelines.

In this context, it is deeply regrettable that guarantees were made publicly about reopening the Cliff Walk by St Patrick’s Day without first reviewing the engineering report.

Next Steps

RPS is now examining whether any engineering solutions can be implemented that would not trigger an environmental assessment. This could potentially shorten the process, but there are no guarantees.

We expect to hear more at the next committee meeting in approximately three weeks’ time.

I will continue to engage constructively on this committee, ask difficult but necessary questions, and work towards the safe reopening of the Cliff Walk, which remains the shared priority of everyone involved.