Displaying items by tag: Dun Laoghaire Harbour
Community Projects ‘In Jeopardy’ As Local Authority Takes On Dun Laoghaire Harbour Debts
#DLHarbour - Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county councillors have suggested a potential increase in Local Property Tax to help offset Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company’s multi-million-euro liabilities, now that the harbour has been officially transferred to local authority control.
Cllr Barry Ward tweeted late last night (Wednesday 26 September) that Transport Minister Shane Ross had signed over responsibility for Dun Laoghaire Harbour “with no financial provision for the estimated €33.5 million debt now imposed on his own constituents, despite repeated calls for fairness from councillors.
“[Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown] cannot sustain this level of financial liability,” he added.
Minister @Shane_RossTD has tonight signed @DLHarbour over to @dlrcc with no financial provision for the estimated €33.5 million debt now imposed on his own constituents, despite repeated calls for fairness from councillors. DLR cannot sustain this level of financial liability. pic.twitter.com/DYENREpcv8
— Barry Ward (@barrymward) September 26, 2018
A slew of projects and developments in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown area — from Stillorgan Library to Glenalbyn Swimming Pool to the Marlay Park Masterplan — are now “all in jeopardy”, according to local councillor Barry Saul.
Glenalbyn Pool , Stillorgan Library , Marley running track , Fernhill Phase 2, Marley Park Masterplan all in jeopardy following Minister Ross decision to sign over DL Harbour and 33 million liabilities to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council pic.twitter.com/H1DDwI5J9E
— Barry Saul (@cllrbarrysaul) September 26, 2018
Cllr Lynsey McGovern added that “we can kiss goodbye to keeping commercial rates and property tax down now,” while Cllr Jim Gildea said even a 30% increase in LPT “would only give us €15m. I for one couldn’t vote to hoist that burden on our householders”.
Minister Ross confirmed back in April this year that “all assets and liabilities” of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company would transfer to the local authority upon the former’s dissolution — and made clear that National Ports Policy does not provide for Exchequer funding “for any port company”.
The transfer of liabilities was branded as “unacceptable” at the time by local Green Party councillor Ossian Smyth.
Independent Senator Victor Boyhan was set to raise the issue of the harbour transfer and its financial implications for DLRCoCo in the Seanad this morning, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
Update Friday 28 September: Cllr Barry Ward tweeted confirmation that Dun Laoghaire Harbour will come under control of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council next Wednesday 3 October.
Fine Gael councillors have called for a special meeting on the issue on the same day at 5pm. An invitation will be extended to Transport Minister Shane Ross.
The transfer order for @DLHarbour has been signed by Minister @Shane_RossTD. #DúnLaoghaire #Harbour will now come under the controll of @dlrcc on Wednesday next, 3 October. The Council was informed by letter yesterday. pic.twitter.com/SwGC9LLJ6c
— Barry Ward (@barrymward) September 28, 2018
Independent Senator to Raise Dun Laoghaire Harbour in Seanad This Morning
The transfer of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council will be raised by Independent Senator Victor Boyhan in the Seanad today at 11am.
Boyhan who previously expressed doubts about the corporate governance of the Harbour Company is expected to claim this morning that there are serious financial implications for DLR County Council and its revenue and capital funding streams that need to be resolved in advance of the Government completing a formal transfer.
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Dun Laoghaire Harbour Transfer In Final Stages
#DLHarbour - Dun Laoghaire County Council is currently involved in final negotiations over the takeover of Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
In his response to a Dáil question on the timeline for transfer of the port to the local authority, Transport Minister Shane Ross confirmed that the order of transfer was sent to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in mid July.
This followed issues relating to risk assessment that were “clarified at meetings that took place between the relevant officials” in the council and harbour company executive since March.
Local residents in Dun Laoghaire also met over the summer to establish any “common concerns” that may be presented to the harbour’s new overseers.
Afloat.ie understands that the final negotiations are centring on the harbour company's liabilities, which local Green Party councillor Ossian Smyth branded as “unacceptable” in April this year.
‘Dining In The Sky’ Comes To Dun Laoghaire This Week
#DunLaoghaire - Preparations are under way in Dun Laoghaire Harbour for a special ‘dining in the sky’ experience this week.
After visits to Portugal, Italy and Germany, the latest stop on the BORA Revolution Tour will see the German cooking systems specialists demonstrate their latest technology in a glass box hoisted 30 metres above Dun Laoghaire by crane from today Thursday 5 till Saturday 7 July.
Those select few lucky enough to partake in the experience will be treated to food prepared by Ballymaloe-trained Ruth Wassel as they enjoy a stunning panorama of the south city and Dublin Bay.
And as our photos show, the event certainly promises new heights in dining!
Harbour Splash is the name of Dublin’s first inflatable aqua park, which will open to the public later this week in Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
An obstacle course over water including trampolines, climbing frames, slides, monkey bars and more will be this summer’s newest attraction at Coal Harbour.
Colin Harris, director of Big Splash Water Parks, the company behind the venture, is expecting people of all ages to come and enjoy an action packed time on the water.
“Children as young as eight can participate and we believe Harbour Splash will be the most fun you can have on the water for birthday parties, hen and stag dos, corporate events and of course it will make a brilliant family day out,” Harris said.
The aqua park’s grand opening will be this Saturday 7 July with the online booking system already live. One-hour sessions are priced at €18 for under 18s and €22 for adults. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company chief executive Gerry Dunne said: “Harbour Splash is a welcome addition to the harbour as it allows families and children public access to the water in a new fun way.”
Flossie Welcomes First Seabin For Dun Laoghaire Harbour
#Seabin - Young coastal litter crusader Flossie Donnelly is celebrating the installation of Dun Laoghaire Harbour’s first Seabin after a successful fundraising campaign.
The 11-year-old was on hand at noon today (Tuesday 22 May) to see the first of two such devices submerged into the harbour’s waters, where they will quietly trap floating debris on the surface that has become the scourge of regular harbour users.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, a single Seabin has the potential to collect as many as 83,000 plastic bags or 20,000 plastic bottles every year.
Enterprising Flossie has been campaigning for a cleaner Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Bay since last year, when she began her regular beach cleaning meet-ups in Sandycove.
“When Flossie first approached us, she already knew what she wanted, to install Ireland’s first Seabin and was well underway with her fundraising efforts,” said Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company operations manager Tim Daly. “Her resolve inspired us to whatever we could to help her out.”
Seabin distributor Inland and Coastal Marina Systems also expressed their delight to be a part of the project with Flossie, who will be grand marshall of the first March for the Ocean in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday 9 June.
Councillors on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have unanimously agreed to send a highly critical letter to Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, taking him to task over his attitude to the transfer of Dún Laoghaire harbour to the Council.
Download the letter below
Legislation from 2015 envisages that the historic harbour will soon come under the control of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, but in March, councillors were stunned to learn that independent risk assessors estimate the cost of repairs to the harbour could be €33.5 million.
Councillors are now faced with a huge financial burden that they say will massively compromise the Council’s ability to deliver services locally, and in the Minister’s own constituency, and could cause significant increases in local property tax and/or commercial rates.
"The letter says that the Minister's decision to transfer the harbour, without any funding “would constitute an act of vandalism”.
Proposed by the Fine Gael Group Leader, Councillor Barry Ward, the letter to Minister Ross says that “such a move will mean your own constituents will see reductions in the Council’s provision of public facilities such as parks, libraries, sports pitches, road, footpaths, lighting, and a range of other things that we currently provide for the businesses and resident of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.”
In a stark statement of the Council’s concerns, the letter says that the Minister's decision to transfer the harbour, without any funding “would constitute an act of vandalism”.
They remind the Minister that his proposal “will hurt the very people you represent, your own constituents”.
The elected members of the Council have asked for the Minister to behave in “a fair and consistent manner” and have now called on him to indemnify the Council against the cost of taking over the harbour, for a period of seven years.
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Transfer: Tenants & Stakeholders Meet to Address 'Common Concerns'
Local yacht clubs, marine businesses and sailing schools were among the attendees of the first ever meeting of Dun Laoghaire Harbour tenants and stakeholders that took place at Ireland's largest boating centre last week.
A draft agenda, seen by Afloat.ie, was circulated to over a dozen stakeholders before last Friday's meeting and outlines the purpose of the meeting as a means to 'establish any common concerns so they may be presented to the new landlords on a collective basis'.
The meeting comes during a period of intense change in Dun Laoghaire as the 200–year–old harbour is transferred from a state company ownership and into the realm of the local authority.
The well attended meeting discussed items of concern such as mapping out its viable future since the loss of the Car Ferry in 2015. The group agreed to a further update in a month's time when the local authority will have taken over the running of the harbour.
Suggested Further Reading:
Without a Harbour Czar, Dun Laoghaire’s All at Sea
Dun Laoghaire Yacht Clubs Must Put On a United Front
Where is Dun Laoghaire Sailing's Strategic Plan?
#DLHarbour - Solicitors for Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company called for the retraction of “damaging and disparaging statements” made at a council meeting on the transfer of the port to local authority control, it has emerged.
According to today’s Sunday Times (6 May), the solicitors claimed that remarks by four Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown councillors at the meeting on 6 March “call into question the proper governance and management of the company.”
Mason Hayes & Currin repeated their demand on 16 March to DLRCoCo chair Tom Murphy, who replied that he was not responsible for statements made by other councillors in meetings, which are in general under qualified privilege.
Read more on this story from the The Sunday Times (behind the paywall).
Stena Ship Remains Docked in Dun Laoghaire Where 'Howth Ferry' Is the Only Operator in Town
#DublinBay - As Afloat previously reported the recent arrival of Stena Carrier to Dun Laoghaire Harbour was a surprise to many an onlooker as the imposing vessel towered above Carlisle Pier, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Stena Carrier is the largest ever ro-ro (freight-ferry) ship to enter Dun Laoghaire Harbour having anchored in Dublin Bay for over a week.
The call to the harbour was to permit carrying out surveys of the 182m long vessel. Furthermore, Afloat can reveal that works also involved the ro-ro's landing gear and the loading of stores at Carlisle Pier (see related story). The ship remains in port apparently awaiting a new charter.
The 2004 Italian built '4Runner' class Stena Carrier is operated by Stena RoRo, part of the Stena group of shipping interests and not to be confused with their ferry division Stena Line.
At 21,000 gross registered tonnage Stena Carrier surpasses the no-longer in service 19,000grt High-Speed Service (HSS) Stena Explorer. The HSS car-carrying catamaran craft operated the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead fastferry seasonal route until a final crossing from the Irish port took place from St. Micheal's Pier (see related story) in September 2014.
In the following year, Stena officially announced to confirm the service be withdrawn and that the HSS would no longer return that season. This marked the end of the historic Ireland-Wales link dating back for more than 150 years. The move saw Stena consolidate existing services in neighbouring Dublin Port where operations to Holyhead are served by two ferries.
The Stena Carrier's location alongside Carlisle Pier is opposite to the East Pier where the harbour's only passenger carrying operator is Dublin Bay Cruises. They advertise the cruises as the 'Howth Ferry' with a sign placed at the beginning of the East Pier.
From the pier's jetty is where the 96 passenger capacity St. Bridget embarks and disembarks those travelling on trips. The vessel is not strictly a ferry, given it is not used by commuters but is based on excursion work. This involves a network of cruise leg options linking the capital port and both harbours.
Prior to the arrival of Stena Carrier, the ro-ro vessel in recent weeks was on charter to P&O Ferries on their Dublin-Liverpool service.
The ships's port of registry is Frederikshavn in Denmark. This is where Stena Line operate a short sea link (3.5hrs) to Gothenburg, Sweden. The west coast Swedish city is where Stena RoRo and the ferry operator's headquarters are based.