State must get on board for harbours

International experts say the Government needs to provide more berths at marinas, as it will bring in yachting tourism, and revamp our disused harbours, writes David O'Brien

You might have the cash to splash out on a new yacht this summer but no amount of money will buy you a place to park it in Dún Laoghaire. The same is the case in Cork harbour and in Galway. Up and down our coasts, facilities from slipways for watersports to state­of­the­art marinas for larger craft, are either full to capacity, in private hands, in disrepair or non­existent. But before anyone sheds a tear for a millionaire not having anywhere to park a yacht, there is a strong economic argument that Ireland's lack of marine infrastructure is costing us all.

The marine leisure sector is capable of growing by around 30 per cent over the next three years - if the Government and local authorities decide to unlock the potential that lies in Irish waters. International experts say providing more berths for pleasure craft around our coast should be a Government priority. The development would allow more people to access Irish waters, bring high-spending yachting tourism, and rejuvenate disused harbours in rural areas.

In spite of our 4,000 miles of coast (and a further 500 miles of navigable rivers and lakes), Ireland has one of the lowest ratios of boat ownership in Europe: one boat to 172 people. The European average is one boat to 42 people. This could change if the Government and local authorities open access for the public to the sea and provide the facilities that residents in other European countries take for granted.

Industry experts are deeply critical of delays of up to 20 years in marina development, and they point to Britain as an example of how island nations should nurture the sector (see panel). Providing facilities takes considerable investment - from the State or from private investors, or a combination - because marinas need expensive breakwaters or sea walls to protect pleasure craft from the open seas. "Ireland has largely turned her back on the sea," says Bernard Gallagher, a marine dealer in Dublin and Bangor, Co Down for 30 years. "We have failed to recognise the true value of the marine environment for leisure purposes."

LOW PARTICIPATION IN watersports is not because Irish people don't like boats; it's because a lack of facilities prevents both residents and tourists from getting access to the water. There are only three public slipways between Dublin city centre and Bray in Co Wicklow - serving a population of 750,000 or more. The situation in the rest of the country is not much better. It's the reason few Irish residents boast about anchoring motor boats in a secluded cove for a family picnic, or island hopping in a yacht, or fishing from an open boat.

Of course, the fact that there's a gale somewhere around our coast every 12 days - or at least it might seem that way - acts as a deterrent to some. But for growing numbers of Irish people, boat ownership is no longer beyond their financial reach, with many enjoying their first steps afloat over the past 10 years.

More than 142,000 adults are involved in boating activity, ranging from sailing and boating on the sea to boating on inland waterways, according to a 2005 report commissioned by the Marine Institute, the research body for the Department of the Marine. It also finds that almost 28,900 used a sailing boat with an auxiliary engine, and an estimated 25,000 used a motor boat. More than 17,000 are involved in dinghy sailing.

These are the reasons the country's largest marina, in Dún Laoghaire, is operating a waiting list in excess of 140 boats and, after opening in 2001, is expanding its 500 berths to accommodate another 200 boats. The statistics also support those who argue that the capacity of the controversial 200-boat marina facility planned for Greystones, Co Wicklow - if it goes ahead - needs to be doubled.

But industry leaders know that the possibilities on our coast are far greater. "Even if the national pleasure craft fleet was quadrupled, it would only bring us into line with the European average. There is an acknowledged 4,500 marina berth deficit," says Damien Offer of the Irish Marina Operators Association (IMOA).

Dublin is the host to two boat shows this spring to cater for the demand for new boats. At international boat shows in London, Paris and Dusseldorf, Irish dealers are enjoying sales success as the Celtic Tiger wealth finds a new outlet in luxury pleasure craft. However, this will be short lived unless municipal marinas expand to accommodate these new craft.

The only way to achieve sustained marina growth is to get Government support, but in spite of compelling arguments that investment can only yield positive results, the silence from the Cabinet table has been deafening. A host of developers are keen to build new marinas but, according to some, they are caught up in delays in processing marina applications, which can take up to 10 years to pass through the Department of Communications Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR).

"In one case the State wanted €1 million just for allowing me the privilege of reclaiming land that would otherwise be seabed. They need to appreciate there is a difference between land and seabed but they don't," says one developer who does not want to be named.

Of course developers aren't reclaiming land from the sea just for the good of the people. Profit is the bottom line, and it is the Government's job to ensure that it gets the full value for any land sold by the State, whether it's under the sea or not.

But marina development does not only require the normal planning requirements with local authorities, it also requires a foreshore lease and licensing process run by the DCMNR. This process, without any recourse to appeal, is bureaucratic and slow, according to developers. "There is no statutory time frame in which the Department has to make its decision," says Tom Power of Dún Laoghaire Marina.

THERE IS NO central agency to assist developers through these obstacles, and to promote change within the planning process. The DCMNR does not accept that the delays in foreshore applications are restricting development and the evidence of this is the expansion in marinas over the past decade, according to a spokesman. Intending developers can facilitate the processing of applications by "pre-planning" and by keeping the Department updated on any major changes prior to application, says a spokesman.

"The establishment of a single Government entity to manage marina development, from planning through to dredging, would greatly assist the industry to maximise opportunities. It would allow developers access to information, such as hydrographic studies, for planning purposes," says Power.

A key finding of the 2005 Marine Institute survey is that improved facilities would result in increased levels of participation and new opportunities for generating revenue. More worryingly, it predicted a drop-off in numbers if facilities were not provided. A strong voice for marine leisure must be heard at the highest levels of Government. Without it, the fledgling marine tourism industry will continue to have a difficult berth.

David O'Brien is Irish Times Sailing Correspondent and editor of Ireland Afloat magazine