Disputes over shore access are not confined to coastal areas. The issue of private use of public facilities was at the heart of a recent dispute over the provision of a ferry across Lough Corrib, in Co Galway. The proposed ferry will link the communities of Oughterard and Headford, cutting out a 50mile round-trip by road.
However, when the chairwoman of the Corrib Navigation Trustees, Galway city alderman, Catherine Connolly (Labour), questioned some of the fine print, she was accused of trying to prevent the project from going ahead.
Connolly agreed with the project in principle, but was concerned about the use of public piers by a private company - and the approval of £140,000 of public funds to upgrade these piers for this commercial use.
Shannon Ferries Ltd, which runs the link between Killimer and Tarbert on the Shannon estuary, has expressed interest. Although there has been no public tender, the company has secured the backing of Galway city's former manager, Joe Gavin, expressed in a letter to the trustees dated May 9th, 2000.
Alderman Connolly has questioned the lack of public consultation on this proposal, and has been supported in her stance by Cairde na Gaillimhe (which says access to the piers would be restricted) and An Taisce. According to the Headford Community Council, the ferry company would not restrict access but would improve facilities for existing boat users. Anyone familiar with the piers would agree they were "in dire need of improvement", the community council said.
A resolution may now be in sight, with a decision by the ferry company to build its own piers. This will be subject to planning permission and approval by the trustees' engineer. Current plans before the trustees suggest that the new piers on each side of the lake will be only 10 feet from the existing structures. The trustees have been advised that the separation should be at least 30 feet.