Dún Laoghaire’s large scale cruise ships plan ‘back on the agenda’

Plans to accommodate large scale cruise ships in Dún Laoghaire Harbour are back on the agenda after Bord Pleanála relisted the application on Wednesday.

The original planning application to accommodate cruise ships of up to 340 metres long, at a berth stretching 435 metres into the harbour, will now be reassessed by the planning board.

Last November, Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the cruise ship proposal but restricted the size of ship which could facilitated, to 250 metres long.

This permission was challenged by the campaign group Save Our Seafront in a judicial review before the High Court.

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The group, which is an environmental non-governmental organisation chaired by local People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett, claimed that the environmental effect of the proposed cruise berths were not adequately assessed by the Board.

Bord Pleanála did not oppose the challenge and the application was referred back to the Board.

A spokesman for An Bord Pleanála said on Wednesday the Board’s approach in relisting the application would allow issues raised at the judicial review to now be considered.

However, he was unable to say if the entire process including the several weeks of oral hearings would be reopened.

“The board is now considering the next move” he said.

The spokesman added that the website listing, which named the applicant as Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council, instead of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, was an error.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company chief executive Gerry Byrne said he was “quietly confident” that the reopened application would lead to the “green light” for the original application for permission to handle the larger cruise ships of 340 metres.

“We can’t say how long the process will take, but we would be quietly confident that the application will be approved” he said.

However, a spokesman for the Combined Yacht Clubs said the reopening of the application was “shattering”.

He said opponents had defeated the project and the applicants were now being allowed to “mend their hand”.

“The costs of this are incredible. The county council is on the record as saying they had supported the harbour company to the tune of €2 million to cover the planning costs. The yacht clubs have already paid €150,000, which they will not get back,” he said.