People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson has called for a review of the Dublin Mountains Visitor Centre at the Hellfire Club. She has raised concerns about the scale of the development and the impact it would have on biodiversity in the area. The proposal for the Visitor Centre with a restaurant, car park and treetop walk has been controversial since it was first proposed in 2017. It has gone through a number of legal cases but ground investigations have recently been started in the area.
Cllr Madeleine Johansson said: “I’ve had concerns about this project since the very beginning. The scale of the proposed centre and car park is not appropriate in this area. This will have a significant impact on biodiversity in the area which should be protected.
“In my opinion this project is catered towards international tourists with coach parking and a restaurant. This could end up being a profit driven centre rather than a public amenity.”
People Before Profit representative for Firhouse-Bohernabreena Phil Foster said: “As a local person I’m very concerned about the scale and nature of this development. We need improvements to the car park and basic facilities such as toilets but the proposed centre is out of proportion.
“I want to see the preservation works to the Hellfire Club itself and other heritage structures in the area but this could be done without having to build a huge centre.”
