New look at future of former ferry terminal

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company is to look again at possible uses for the Carlisle Pier after receiving advice that a commercial enterprise based around the old ferry terminal would not be sufficiently successful.

Phase three of the harbour development plan, for construction after the new terminal and marina, was initially expected to include upmarket shopping, restaurants and a possible marine facility such as an aquarium, as well as specialist shops selling marine accessories and clothing.

Last year the Harbour Company was approached by at least two developers interested in acquiring it. However a residential element - which often financially underpins similar schemes elsewhere - would be unlikely to get the go-ahead in the harbour.

It is likely that such a move would be seen as an attempt to privatise the harbour - and therefore be trenchantly resisted. There is little enthusiasm for such a debate given the controversy which surrounded the sale of berths in the new marina.

It is understood that the Harbour Company has become disillusioned about the prospects for a lively commercial future for the pier, a view fuelled by a perception of a less-than-hectic demand for new units in Dun Laoghaire and the recent closure of the Icon Centre at Leopardstown.

The Icon Centre and the proposed pier development were strikingly similar in concept, according to Harbour Company director, Mr Michael Hanahoe. Both relied on a "themed" attraction, seeking to draw high-spending visitors.

According to Mr Hanahoe, the company still considers a maritime museum or a similar facility as the anchor attraction.

Criteria for future use of the terminal and pier are stringent. Firstly, public access must be continued, there must be a "community gain" in any development, any new building must respect the architectural heritage of the harbour and it must also be commercially successful.

While Mr Hanahoe acknowledges the "tall order" imposed by the criteria, he feels a private sector partnership may yet be appropriate. At over two acres, the Carlisle Pier alone could represent a significant development opportunity, particularly given that three sides front on to the water.

The situation has moved a long way since last September, when the redevelopment of the whole harbour was being spoken of as an opportunity to create a "thriving commercial and leisure facility".

The Victorian harbour, for which the first stone was laid in 1813, was once the largest man-made harbour in the world. , the Carlisle Pier is "unquestionably the single greatest leisure and recreational asset" in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown area.

The plan states that "various plans for the development of non-commercial and in some cases social and charitable operations on this site must be disregarded as squandering the possibility of creating and realising a revenue-earning potential afforded by the commercial development of the site".

The coastal plan envisages a "multi-faceted leisure, recreational and entertainment complex on the site to include restaurants, shops, bars, nightclub venues and live entertainment on the site".