Wicklow County Council has confirmed that the long-running effort to reopen the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk has taken a significant step forward, with a rope access contractor now selected and detailed slope inspections due to begin later this month.
The update follows a meeting of the Cliff Walk Management Committee on September 1, where members were briefed on the latest progress and the complex work still required before any reopening can be considered.
Tetra Tech Consultants delivered a presentation outlining the project’s current status, including the completion of the tender process for rope access specialists who will carry out inspections on unstable cliff sections.
A preferred contractor has been identified, pending formal appointment, and preparatory work such as inspection methodology, safe working systems and risk assessments is already underway. These inspections are regarded as a critical milestone in assessing the condition of the route, several parts of which have been identified as being at risk of failure.
Summer ecological surveys, which began in May, have now finished. Winter bird surveys are scheduled to start in October, forming part of the legally-required environmental assessments due to the walk’s location within or adjacent to a Special Area of Conservation.
The council says the proposed start date for rope access works is mid to late September, subject to the contractor’s appointment. Engagement with Iarnród Éireann on works near the railway line remains ongoing and “detailed”.
On the Greystones side, summer ecological surveys have also been completed, with winter surveys planned for October, once landowner consent is confirmed.
Work continues on identifying and designing potential inland route options, a process that involves planning, environmental assessment and engineering design.
The committee agreed to produce a flowchart outlining the critical path for the Greystones section, following extensive discussion on shorter‑term possibilities and planning requirements. The council noted that landowners are engaging positively and facilitating access.
Committee chairperson Cllr Erika Doyle welcomed the progress but stressed that the complexity of the project remains a central factor in the length of the closure.
She said the committee is united in its aim of working with the council to deliver a safe, sustainable and protected route, and emphasised that reopening the existing path before its safety can be demonstrated would pose an unacceptable risk to the public.
Cllr Doyle acknowledged public frustration, saying the work involves far more than repairing a damaged trail. With multiple sections now at risk of failure and ongoing erosion, she said any intervention must comply with environmental, ecological and planning requirements under European directives and national legislation.
Her view is that the committee’s responsibility is both to explain why the process takes time and to ensure the work remains focused on achieving a viable reopening as soon as assessments, approvals and works are complete.
The local authority says it remains committed to progressing the project “in a diligent, safe and environmentally sound manner” and in the shortest possible timeframe.
The linear 7km cliff walk from Bray to Greystones, which was closed due to a series of rockfalls in early 2021, remains closed, with an alternative inland route available.
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