Tramore Local Area Plan - Waterford County Council

Chapter 10: Open Space, Amenity & The Natural Environment10.1 COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENTThe National Development Plan highlights that coastal erosion is a serious threatto public infrastructure, tourist amenities and areas of ecological importance.The National Plan indicates that a strategic approach will be adopted toaddressing these problems in the context of a national coastal protectionstrategy. The emphasis is on the adoption of environmental friendly approachesto coastal protection.The Council recognises the need for a strategic approach to coastal protection. Itis considered that management of the coastal resource in the form of coastalzone management policies and strategies is necessary to ensure that futuredevelopment does not adversely impact on the coastal area, and that protectionmeasures are undertaken in a structured way that ensure that they areenvironmentally friendly and do not produce knock-on effects further down thecoastline. Research has shown that engineering solutions have not always beensuccessful and management or “soft” environmental options require anintegrated management strategy.10.1.1 Protection of the Sand DunesTramore possess a varied andattractive landscape with one of themajor attractions being the beach andsand dunes. Tramore dunes andbackstrand lie at the head of Tramorebay, east of Tramore. This area isdesignated a proposed NaturalHeritage Area (p NHA), candidateSpecial Area of Conservation ( c SAC)and Special Protection Area (SPA).The Dunes are well developed andcontain several habitats as listed onAnnex 1 of the EU Habitats Directive,including the priority habitat fixeddune with herbaceous vegetation.The Backstrand is an area of someimportance for shore birds on thesouth coast. The site regularly supportsinternationally important numbers ofBrent Goose and nationally importantnumbers of Golden Power.Tramore Dunes68