Wildlife expert warns Dunsink habitat must be left as 'undisturbed as possible'

Gerry Creighton from Global Elephant Care is calling on Fingal County Council to "seriously consider" alternative routes for the Dunsink development's proposed road at Scribblestown Lane

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 12:09, 26 Aug 2026 View 2 Images Tolka Valley Park in Finglas is one area residents are concerned will be imapcted by the Dunsink development (Image: Stephen Holland)

A leading wildlife expert has warned that the Dunsink development threatens the area's fragile ecosystem.

Gerry Creighton is known for his decades spanning career in Dublin Zoo and as the founder of Global Elephant Care. With a background in animal care and habitat design, he believes there is a “very strong case for leaving this important landscape as undisturbed as possible”. He has voiced his support for the Finglas Biodiversity Action Group in their campaign to protect Scribblestown Lane and the adjoining Tolka Valley Park.

The Dunsink City Quarter aims to build up to 18,500 homes inside Dublin’s M50 between Finglas and Blanchardstown. The draft plan saw major pushback locally with hundreds of submissions made during the consultation phase regarding a lack of appropriate infrastructure to support the incoming population, the potential adverse effects of building on top of a former landfill , and the environmental impact on the area’s biodiversity.

“What stands out to me is that this is not about protecting one tree, one hedgerow or one species. This is a complete and functioning ecological corridor made up of the River Tolka, floodplain grasslands, mature hedgerows, veteran trees, woodland, streams, old agricultural buildings and long-established wildlife routes,” Mr Creighton stated.

Having looked through the information gathered on the area, Mr Creighton’s professional opinion is that Fingal County Council should be “looking seriously” at alternative routes for the proposed road at Scribblestown Lane. This is something that local resident Niamh Lambert has actively campaigned for, as she previously spoke to Dublin Live about how plans to widen the road would swallow up vital green space.

View 2 Images Global Elephant Care founder Gerry Creighton at Dublin Zoo

“To make that into a two-way traffic road with bike lanes and paths, you would have to extend into this biodiversity park behind us,” she told Dublin Live onsite at Tolka Valley Park. “They will also have to take the small bit of green space that is in Scribblestown estate, for their kids to go out and play on."

Mr Creighton highlighted recent surveys that have recorded Common Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle and Leisler’s Bat, while the wider area supports species including Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Buzzard, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Curlew and Yellowhammer. Otter, Badger and Pine Marten have also been recorded in the area.

“The mature hedgerows and veteran trees are particularly important. They provide nesting and roosting habitat, movement routes for wildlife, feeding areas for pollinators, carbon storage and natural flood protection. These are habitats that have developed over many decades, and in some cases much longer,” he said.

A key concern for Mr Creighton is the idea that established habitats can simply be “removed and replaced” by planting something else there. “A newly planted hedge or young tree cannot immediately replace the ecological value of a mature hedgerow, veteran tree or established wildlife corridor,” he said.

The floodplain also needs to be considered, as residents in the area have already experienced serious flooding incidents. “The existing grasslands, trees, hedgerows, wetlands and waterways all play an important role in slowing and holding water naturally,” he said.

“Any development that reduces this capacity needs to be examined extremely carefully, particularly given the increased pressures we are already seeing from climate change.

“Scribblestown Lane also has considerable historic and cultural value, with its traditional landscape, old agricultural buildings, historic boundaries and the heritage stone bridge known locally as the ‘Stick Bridge’. Once landscapes like this are lost or fragmented, they are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recreate.”

While Dublin has a great need for infrastructure and housing developments, Mr Creighton states this must be done in a way that is “genuinely sustainable”. For this reason, he’s calling on Fingal County Council to fully explore realistic alternative routes that could avoid damaging this biodiversity corridor.

“I would therefore strongly support comprehensive and independent ecological surveys being carried out across all appropriate seasons before any irreversible decisions are made. Particular attention should be given to bats, nesting birds, otters, badgers, mature trees, hedgerows, floodplain habitat, water quality and the connectivity of the wider Tolka ecological corridor,” he said.

“I would also ask that the cumulative impact of the development is considered. It is not just the footprint of the road itself that matters, but the fragmentation, disturbance, increased traffic, lighting, noise, drainage changes and loss of connectivity that can follow.”

While there are often proposals aimed at restoring habitats and creating wildlife corridors, Mr Creighton explained there at Tolka Valley Park “we already have an established wildlife corridor”. “Surely our first priority should be to protect what is already working,” he said.

“Roads can be redesigned and, where alternatives exist, they can be rerouted. Mature ecosystems, ancient hedgerows, veteran trees and established wildlife corridors cannot simply be replaced.”

When previously contacted about the impact the Dunsink development could have on the biodiversity of the area, a spokesperson from Fingal County Council stated that the draft plan is accompanied by an environmental report which considers the effects of implementing the plan.

“Any subsequent developments will require planning approval where the detailed design and environmental impacts including in terms of biodiversity are fully considered,” they stated.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives top stories and must-read content straight away. To add us as a preferred source, simply click here .