I am writing not simply as an individual, but as a representative of the many voices across Strandhill and beyond who have deep, generational ties to this place and its shoreline.

For decades, locals and visitors alike have been able to access Strandhill’s shore directly by car, to sit, to rest, to relax by the sea. This isn’t a luxury or convenience; it is a quiet, deeply human way of life. People drive down for a moment of peace, to eat a sandwich from a café, to share an ice cream with their children, or simply to breathe and relax. For elderly residents and those with limited mobility, it is often the only way they can continue to access and enjoy the shore.

The proposed pedestrianisation removes this entirely. It relocates parking 5–10 minutes away, cutting off that accessibility in the name of an abstract ‘enhancement’ that ignores lived reality. The result? A shoreline that belongs only to the fit, the able, and the economically mobile. That is not progress. That is exclusion.

Worse, this proposal proceeds in direct contrast to the feelings of the majority. From what I have seen and gathered, the public is overwhelmingly opposed. Local concerns, such as those raised by the Strandhill Community Development Association, have been acknowledged but not meaningfully incorporated. Consultation must be more than a checkbox; it must shape the outcome.

What is being lost here is not just access. It is not hearing the voices of those from Sligo.  And yet since this notion has gone forth, I've heard not one person speak up for this after dozens of comments.

A small yet vital part of our cultural life is being replaced with a sterile alternative. And once it is gone, it cannot be reclaimed.

Rethink this.

Yours kindly,

Adrian O'Neill,

Chairman of the Sligo Heritage and History Club