Plans to revitalise Southlands are likely to be turned down when they go before the Development Applications Board today.

A government planning application, submitted in June 2025, proposed the creation of a café overlooking South Shore and public parking for the Warwick estate, which became a national park in 2017.

The application also proposed the creation of public restrooms, walking trails and improved beach access, as well as planting native and endemic coastal plant species.

However, the proposal drew dozens of objections from environmental groups, neighbours and members of the community, who complained about the scale of the project and the lack of an overarching management plan for the park.

The planning application is listed on the agenda for today’s meeting of the DAB with a recommendation for refusal.

A report prepared for the DAB by a technical officer said that while the commercial element of the proposal had been scaled back, it was still “excessive” and would dominate the western portion of the park.

The report noted that development in park zones must be essential to the maintenance, conservation, enhancement or enjoyment of the park and the National Parks Commission must not object.

The report said: “While there are positive aspects to the proposal, such as the provision of a public amenity, which is likely to increase the number of visitors to Southlands park, the proposal cannot be deemed essential to the maintenance, conservation, enhancement or enjoyment of the park.

“It is considered that the proposed scale of development would ultimately be detrimental to the natural and visual quality of the area.

“There are concerns that the submission of this and other recent applications relating to Southlands park as a whole represent a piecemeal approach which, in lieu of an overall management plan for the entire park, poses difficulties in assessing cumulative impacts on the functioning of the park as a whole.”

The report also noted that the application had failed to win the support of the National Parks Commission.

According to planning documents, the NPC considered the proposal last August and came to the conclusion that the application was in conflict with the objectives of the Parks Act 1986.

The commission particularly noted that the legislation aimed to provide a “minimum” of commercial activity within national parks and highlighted that the proposal received a raft of objections that did not appear to have been adequately considered.

Planning documents showed that in September 2025, Cyprian Smith, the director of the Department of Public Lands and Buildings, said that he understood that the Department of Planning intended to recommend rejection of the plans.

However, he requested that the decision be deferred until after the NPC could take part in a walk-through of the property the following month to “further evaluate the submission”.

Southlands, which was once a 38-acre private estate, was obtained by the Government in 2010 as part of a land-swap agreement after a public outcry over plans to build a major luxury resort on the site.

The site was formally named a national park in 2017 and in 2022 the Government conducted an online survey that asked the public how the property could be improved.

Suggestions included restrooms, a café, a restaurant, a visitor centre, gift shop, beach concession, picnic areas and whether the site should be pet friendly.

Over the past year, the DAB has considered several planning applications for the park and unused buildings within it.

Proposals to convert one derelict building on the property into a new office for the Mirrors Programme received the green light, as have plans to construct a seawall to prevent erosion of the parks coastline.

However, a plan to convert a vacant storage area and garage in the park into a single-bedroom apartment was refused, along with another to use a separate derelict building as a meeting and events space.

The DAB also struck down a proposal to establish a zip-line attraction at the park. However, the applicant has launched an appeal, which has yet to be decided.