A plan to increase, or stabilise, the population of otter, kingfisher, dipper, bats, salmon, brown trout and badger in the Ward River Valley is now part of Phase 1 of the Fingal Biodiversity Action Plan 2023-2030. This plan, which was originally unfunded and effectively shelved, is now one of the first 20 projects prioritised in…
IMAGE CREDIT: John Fields @dublinjohnski on Twitter At the Swords end of the Broadmeadow Estuary, birdwatchers have reported seeing an Osprey which seems to have travelled to Ireland from Scotland. The bird of prey, which feeds on fish, was identified as a three-year-old which was ringed as a juvenile in the Tweed Valley in Scotland.…
Some remarkable images of what the Ward River Valley as it will look should the proposed three projects were unveiled at a webinar this week. The three projects – the sports hub in Brackenstown, the Walled Garden restoration, and the historic canal rewetting – are all proposed as part of the first phase of projects…
This year the Mayor’s Awards will honour individuals who go to extraordinary lengths for their communities. These are people making a positive contribution to their local community and are inspiring others to do the same. They could be an older person proving that age is not a barrier to giving back to others, somebody who…
In a major boost for nature restoration in Swords, Fingal County Council have unveiled plans to fully fund its Biodiversity Strategy meaning two major nature projects in the Ward River Valley and the Broadmeadow Estuary will go ahead. Now a plan will be put in place to protect salmon spawning grounds on the Ward River…
Just as the DO NOT SWIM notice on the iconic Velvet Strand in Portmarnock was lifted last week an extension to the DO NOT SWIM notice in Balbriggan was announced. The notice on the North Strand in Balbriggan, which was first issued on July 25th, has now been extended after tests continued to find elevated…
Farmers around Swords will be able to receive payments for land with up to 50 per cent given to scrub, thicket, woodland habitat, and rock. These areas were previously ineligible for farm payments, and this led to farmers removing these high nature value habitats. This process was devastating for wildlife that relies on these pockets…
In a remarkable level of honesty, the draft Biodiversity Action Plan for Fingal states that there are 100 urgent actions needed to stop biodiveristy loss but they only have funding to achieve 30. Fingal County Council’s Biodiversity Officer Hans Visser, has made clear that either new funding or a reallocation of council resources are needed…
District heating, where insulated pipes carrying hot water or steam directly to your home, has potential in Swords, according to Dublin’s Energy Agency. In a report on how Dublin can reach its emissions target, CODEMA Dublin’s Energy Agency have looked into the potential of providing district heating in Swords and found that it would be…
A new access path to the Arches at Ushers Lake will begin construction this summer, the council have confirmed. The new access route is needed for more extensive conservation work that is due to take place there in the coming months. The new path will lead from the Brookdale Green area of Rivervalley into the…