A revised plan for the redevelopment of Dún Laoghaire harbour in south Co Dublin has been unveiled amid claims from some councillors that it amounts to a “privatisation” of the amenity.
The plan was largely well-received by local representatives at a meeting of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on Monday evening.
However, Cllr Melisa Halpin of People Before Profit criticised proposals to incorporate a new hotel at St Michael’s Pier, and described the plan as “at best a fantasy because it doesn’t have the funding behind it”.
“The privatisation – and it is privatisation – of St Michael’s Pier is a disgrace,” Cllr Halpin said. “We are actually looking at putting a hotel, conference and spa centre [there]. We all know what hotel, conference and spa centres look like – they’re private.”
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Fellow People Before Profit councillor Dave O’Keefe said the plan “amounted to a sell-off of the family jewels”, and noted that, in its most recent budget, the council had “reduced the amount of money transferred to the harbour for maintaining its crumbling infrastructure”.
“Most of the rendered images [in the plan] show lovely new apartment blocks overlooking the sea, which I would be very worried about,” Cllr O’Keefe said.
Cllr Martha Fanning (Labour) welcomed the proposal for the harbour and said it “sets out a vision and ambition for future decades”, but also took issue with “attempts to privatise it”.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Justin Moylan disagreed with suggestions that the plan was attempting to privatise the harbour. “I’ve heard a lot this evening about the potential privatisation, but I don’t read that in the document,” he said. “It doesn’t come through to me in any great way, so I don’t know where or why that has been brought up.”
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With a “matrix” of more than 30 proposed activities and initiatives, the plan is designed to be flexible and evolve over time. It divides the harbour into six quarters and indicates a range of priorities for the short, medium and long term.
Tim Ryan, operations manager at the harbour, described the plan as a roadmap to “a living harbour that really will reconnect the town with the sea”. A number of councillors complimented Mr Ryan on devoting much of his life to the redevelopment of the harbour.
Two of the 32 proposed projects are already under way. A public consultation is open for the development of The Metals Green, a small public park near the harbour. Later this year, another consultation will open for a flagship project to establish Dún Laoghaire as Ireland’s National Watersports Campus.
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Central to the master plan is the urban quarter, which focuses specifically on the link between the harbour and Dún Laoghaire itself. Here, a pavilion garden, lookout tower, food hall, saltwater pool and upgraded promenade are mooted, as is the divisive conference and spa hotel, and a new cruise ship terminal.
The National Watersports Campus quarter should see the most immediate progress, with its five proposed developments all scheduled for the short term. Boat maintenance and training buildings, and a floating facility, will accompany a watersport venue and civic square.
On the east pier, a new cycle lane, heritage trail and floating platform are proposed, as is the potential opening of the east pier lighthouse as a visitor point. The marina quarter includes a pocket park, a mobility bridge, and an elevated walkway providing a link between the town and harbour.
Finally, the west pier and the Gut will be rejuvenated by amenities such as an educational facility, a nature park, a floating platform and a timber boardwalk.
A key element of the strategy is creating a “unified sequence of spaces linking the harbour’s distinct areas”. This means developing a more “cohesive experience” between Carlisle Pier, the Old Harbour, St Michael’s Pier, the Gut and more.
A presentation on the master plan was given to councillors by Ulrik Raysse of Arrow Architects, a Danish firm that are the lead consultants on the project and oversaw its overall design and integration.
The vision for Dún Laoghaire harbour takes inspiration from the cities of Copenhagen and Aarhus. Mr Raysse mentioned a research trip to the former that was attended by a number of councillors for DLR.
Cathaoirleach Jim Gildea, a Fine Gael councillor, took issue with the selective nature of the overseas research trip.
“I had a serious problem with the fact that less than ... 15 per cent of the councillors were offered an opportunity to go to Copenhagen for this wonderful harbour that is owned by everybody in the county,” he said.
It remains to be seen how the redevelopment of the harbour will be funded, though the master plan has been designed to progress incrementally. Successful delivery of the plan will depend on “a diverse and adaptive funding framework.”
