An alliance of more than 100 Shannon-side business owners has raised a petition calling on the Government not to ratify proposed annual charges for users of inland waterways.
The mainly tourism and hospitality interests are concerned Minister for Local Government James Browne may be about to ratify “flat” or “standing” charges, part of new waterway bylaws, without asking for an independent economic study of the impact of the charges.
Waterways Ireland, which controls a number of the State’s inland waterways, including the Shannon Navigation, the Royal and Grand canals and the Shannon – Erne Waterway initially proposed a flat registration charge of €200 for boats using the Shannon Navigation, along with permit charges of €200 on the Royal and Grand canals. The authority also wanted a charge of €40 for a 60-day licence for boats entering the Shannon Navigation through the Shannon-Erne Waterway from Northern Ireland or entering the system at Limerick. A €300 winter-mooring charge would also apply to those keeping their boats on the waterway between November 1st and April 1st.
The authority was, however, asked by former minister for housing and local government Darragh O’Brien to “reflect” on the affordability of the charges, and draft changes were submitted to Mr Browne last September.
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But a range of boaters and businesses, including the Shannon Lakes and Rivers Group (SLRG), expressed concern when they learned through the Freedom of Information process that Waterways Ireland did not commission an independent economic evaluation of the moves.
The Shannon Lakes and Rivers Group say they have no issue with user charges for locks and lifting bridges or even overnights at Waterways Ireland’s jetties. But they claim annual and permit charges would destroy an industry that is already in serious decline.
The group said the number of hire boats has halved in the last two decades, while the number of lock passages – an indicator of the amount of traffic on the waterways – has also declined significantly.
The group said it was shocked to discover through Freedom of Information (FoI) requests that Waterways Ireland had “no information to release” when asked to release a copy of the business case for the new charges and permits.
Waterways Ireland claimed an exemption to the FoI Act in relation to supplying information on “internal studies” and “organisation review”.
Now the Shannon Lakes and Rivers group has asked Mr Browne to meet a delegation to listen to their concerns before he signs the new bylaws into law.
Spokesman John Dunne said, “the huge reduction in river traffic/tourism is a big cause of concern for many Shannon-side businesses”. He said lock passage numbers have fallen from 110,000 in the early 2000s to 35,000 annually, “with 20 per cent of this reduction occurring since 2018”.
Waterways Ireland said it had “carefully considered its draft proposals in relation to fees and charges and submitted a further revised draft of the Bylaws to the department for detailed consideration and legal review”.
It said numbers of boat registrations, including jet skis, had grown in recent decades while movements at locks and bridges had risen slightly in recent years.
The authority said, the outcome of this review will inform the next steps to be taken”.
It added: “It is important to note that no changes can be made to the existing bylaws, permits, or charges and fees until the legislative process associated with the formal adoption and signing of the bylaws has concluded.”
