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[Press Release: March 6th, 2005] Green Party makes progress with special protection order for Bray HeadGreen Party councillors on Bray Town Council have announced they are satisfied with progress they have made to date on the Special Amenity Area Order for Bray Head.The issue was discussed recently at a meeting of the Planning and Infrastructure Municipal Policy Committee of Bray Town Council. Cllr Deirdre de Burca and Cllr Ciaran O'Brien called on other committee members to support a number of studies being carried out on Bray Head, as part of the SAAO process. "Achieving a Special Amenity Area Order for Bray Head has been a stated objective of Bray Town Council and Wicklow County Council for the past twenty years" says de Burca. "The SAAO would give a high level of protection to Bray Head against unsuitable development. The need for such protection has become very obvious over the past five years, as development pressures in the town are greater than ever before". De Burca points out that Bray Town Council agreed 10,000 euros in its 2005 Budget for the SAAO process and that if the money is not spent on studies of Bray Head this year, it will not carry over to next year. "We have seen a lot of foot-dragging and deliberate delay on the part of some councillors who are afraid that putting an SAAO on Bray Head will prevent certain developments going ahead in the future" she says. "Unfortunately they are not listening to the wishes of most of the people of Bray to preserve the wonderful recreational amenity that is Bray Head. They are also not thinking about the needs of children in the town and future generations who will have to live in an increasingly built-up urban area, and who will need the open space that Bray Head provides". Councillor Ciaran O'Brien claims that the Green Party will be particularly relying on the support of the Labour Party in Bray to allow the SAAO process for Bray Head to progress. "The Labour Party has stated in its election literature that it is in favour of an SAAO for Bray Head" he says. "The Green Party will need its support in order to push the process forward. We are confident that we will get that support from them over the coming months when the issue comes before Bray Town Council for its decision".
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