International marine industries body, ICOMIA, has developed a policy paper giving recommendations to governments and investors worldwide on marina lease tenders.
Marinas around the world provide essential boat storage; associated infrastructure and amenities; public access to waterways and many economic and social benefits to the local community. Marinas are most often developed and operated with private investment and require professional management of the complex interface between public access, operational health and safety, environmental control, industrial activities, tourism and community activities.
Essential to the long-term viability of marinas and consequential delivery of high-quality public benefits, is an investment framework that provides both security of tenure and affordable seabed and land rents within the range of Sustainable Occupancy Cost. Unsustainably high occupancy costs typically lead to poorly maintained, operated or abandoned facilities delivering poor community outcomes.
This policy paper, developed by the ICOMIA Marinas Group, supports competition and the fair financial return to government for the lease of public assets but notes that this must be balanced and tempered with ensuring that this return is also financially sustainable over the term of the lease to the operator to deliver the ongoing community benefits derived from professionally managed and maintained marina infrastructure.
In Ireland, the Irish Marine Federation (IMF) is affiliated with the international trade association that has been representing the global marine industry since 1966. In its recent submission to Government on the proposed marine spatial plan, the Chairman of the Irish trade body, Paal Janson, said: 'barriers to investment and sustainability around the Irish coastline have for 'too long stymied growth in the marine sphere'. Read more here
Download the full ICOMIA paper below
