The Clare hotel and golf complex owned by Donald Trump has revealed the details of a fresh application to carry out works to prevent coastal erosion at the holiday resort.
It follows a decision by the president-elect earlier this month to abandon plans for a controversial €10 million rock barrier at the Doonbeg location to protect the 18-hole golf links in favour of a scaled-down version.
The company, which operates Trump International Golf Links and Hotel, published a notice of its intention to apply for planning permission for the new project yesterday.
Trump International Golf Links said that the proposed development would consist of two new structures at the Carrowmore Dunes in Doughmore Bay beside the course. One is more than 600 metres long and the other 250m. The proposed length of the structure in the original application was 2.8km.
The fresh application states that the new walls will extend 12m seawards from the base of the sand dunes.
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The final structure will be screened from view, the company said, using a mixture of sand and cobbles. It said that the development plans also allowed for a public car park and access to the beach at Doonbeg “throughout the construction work and beyond”.
The resort said that it had taken on board concerns and requests for further information raised by Clare county council during the previous application process.
Observations and submission on the plans can be made to the local authority within five weeks of the application being received.
Mr Trump’s company had applied for the original project to be included under a fast-tracked planning process whereby it would be assessed directly by An Bord Pleanala, but it was deemed not to qualify as a piece of critical infrastructure.
Although the original large-scale coastal protection plans were largely supported by the local community in Doonbeg, objections were raised by parties including the national trust An Taisce, Friends of the Irish Environment and local surfers.
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The Carrowmore Dunes have been designated a special area of conservation by the EU Special Habitats Directive.
The Doonbeg resort was bought by Mr Trump in 2014 for about €8.7 million. It has subsequently been revalued at €23 million in financial documents filed last year with the US Federal Election Commission.
Mr Trump promised to invest up to €45 million in his major Irish asset, claiming that he wished to make Doonbeg one of the greatest golf courses in the world.
Consultants for the billionaire businessman warned during the previous planning row that if permission was not granted for coastal protection measures, the resort could close.
Failing to do anything would “bring the viability of the entire resort and its potential closure into question”, they said.
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An Taisce had claimed that the original plans would destroy the sand dunes and blight one of the most stunning stretches of the Irish coastline.