Dollymount shelter demolished due to anti-social behaviour and littering

One of two abandoned buildings in the dunes at Dollymount Strand. The smaller shelter nearby was recently demolished due to anti-social behaviour and littering

Anti-social activity and persistent littering led to a decision to demolish an old shelter on Dollymount beach, Dublin City Council has confirmed.

There has been a mixed local reaction to the removal of the former lifeguard hut, which is thought to date back to the 1930s.

The council insisted that the building was not a protected structure and said it had not been designed by Herbert Simms, the famous Dublin Corporation housing architect responsible for the bathing shelters along the Bull Wall.

A council spokesperson told Independent.ie: “It was removed because it was a focus for night-time congregation in the nature reserve and persistent littering of bottles, cans, broken glass, human excrement and drug paraphernalia.

“There are no proposals to remove any other bathing shelters,” they added.

Bull Island is a Special Protected Area and UNESCO Biosphere and concerns have previously been expressed about the potential impact of littering on ground-nesting birds and other wildlife in the area.

However, the sudden demolition of the hut last week has taken many locals by surprise and divided public opinion.

Commenting on social media, one local resident said: “Who made the decision to demolish this structure? The shelter was there for well over 50 years.

“Because the place may have been trashed a few times during the pandemic is hardly a reason for demolition, especially demolition in a fragile ecosystem without any local community input whatsoever. What’s next?”

Another post accused Dublin City Council of “using a sledgehammer to solve a small, passing problem”.

However, others described the shelter as “an eyesore” and claimed it had attracted “the worst type of yobs”.

Councillor Donna Cooney (GP) said she will be asking Dublin City Council to outline the full circumstances that led to the demolition of the building.

“We need to know if the council was requested to demolish it,” she said.

“Apart from raising issues about our built heritage, I have concerns about demolition work involving heavy machinery in such an environmentally sensitive area and the impact on the swallows that nested in this hut.

“If there’s a problem with anti-social behaviour, let’s deal with that issue head on instead of just removing a building that could have been carefully repurposed,” she added.