A treetop sky-bridge, visitor centre and cafe have been given the go-ahead as part of plans to develop Dublin’s historic Hellfire Club forest lands into a major tourist attraction.

However, local groups are angry with An Bord Pleana’s  decision to
approve the development

South Dublin Co Co owns the land and is to develop along with Coilte
who have agreed to work with the council.

Save The Hellfire, the group against the development, fear the
development will damage the landscape and spoil its natural beauty,
and that the influx of visitors will disturb local wildlife.

Included in the €20m development plan is a 1,000sqm visitor centre
incorporating a cafe, education centre and exhibition space, as well
as a treetop sky-bridge for walkers over the main access road, linking
newly enhanced trails in the forests on either side.

Car parking is to be quadrupled to 275 individual spaces plus
dedicated coach parking and the overall project is designed to boost
visitor numbers from 100,000 a year to 300,000.