Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has applied to the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) for consent for a proposed floating ecological pontoon inside Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
The application, submitted on 18 September 2026 under reference MAC260024, concerns an area near the West Pier, adjoining the Dunleary Road waterfront.
An official council location drawing, dated August 2026, identifies a 200-square-metre maritime consent area inside the harbour.
Proposed Pontoon Location Identified
The drawing, reference PL-26-115, shows the proposed consent area outlined in red, just offshore from Dunleary Road.
Although the project is described as a floating ecological pontoon, the location drawing does not specify its design, intended ecological functions or arrangements for public access.
The 200-square-metre figure refers to the maritime consent area and should not be interpreted as the dimensions of the pontoon itself.
MARA Decision Awaited
MARA's published register records the application as Applied, with no determination date listed.
The application therefore remains under consideration, and consent has not been granted.
No confirmed installation timetable or project budget has been established from the published information examined.
The application comes against the background of the council’s wider Harbour Masterplan, reported by Afloat in January, which outlines a range of potential harbour projects, including proposals for the West Pier and Gut. The masterplan is a broader planning framework and does not establish the purpose or funding of this particular pontoon.
Other proposals in the harbour are progressing through their own processes, including maritime consent areas associated with the National Watersports Campus and cruise-access changes at St Michael’s Pier. Neither is identified in the available pontoon location drawing as part of application MAC260024.
Further details are available through MARA's applications and determinations register under reference MAC260024.
