This article is from page 18 of the 2006-04-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
CLARE County Council is to lodge an application with the Department of the Marine for up to €2 million in funding to allow it extend Doolin pier and dredge the local harbour.
The council says the works are necessary in order to upgrade the increasingly busy Doolin harbour, where four ferry operators are located in the peak Summer months.
The Department of Community, Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs has already committed to providing substantial funding to the €4 million project, according to County Engineer, Tom Carey.
Minister Eamon O’ Cuiv’s department could provide up to €2 million for the scheme, if matching funds are found. Mr Carey said the remaining shortfall was too much for the council to bridge, so it would apply instead to the Department of the Marine.
Mr Carey said that the council had been unsuccessful in the past in persuading Marine to provide the funding, because the department’s main focus lay with fishing harbours.
But, Mr Carey said that the council would be stressing the importance of the facilities at Doolin to the local fishing industry.
“We are hoping that the department will revisit their earlier decision,” said Mr Carey.
Mr Carey said that the council had already spent €120,000 on a geo-technical survey to see how the safety problems identified in transferring passengers from the pier to the ferry boats, at medium and low tides, could be addressed.
He said that progress had also been made on plans to progress visitor facilities for passengers at Doolin. He said these would cost in excess of €1 million.
In addition, some improvements had been made to plans unveiled eighteen months ago to establish a terminal for all companies operating out of Doolin.
“We are continuing to work on the plan and have had some fresh thoughts which have improved the proposals.
“We now hope to show these proposals to the people on whose lands we hope to locate the building. The Office of Public Works (OPW) has also entered the fray with their plans to build a station for the local coastguard unit, so there is a good bit happening in the background.”
Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Community Harbour Co-op welcomed the council’s initiative.
“Unfortunately, the Council has been refused by the Department of the Marine before, but now there are six fishing licenses that could operate out of Doolin. This issues needs to be pushed more.”