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A total of €19 million in funding to build new facilities for outdoor water-based activities was announced on Thursday.
The funding will go towards building new changing facilities, secure storage and bathrooms at beaches and inland water spots where kayaking, surfing, paddle-boarding and swimming take place. A total of 22 developments are planned.
Two are earmarked for Dublin: one for Docklands Water Sports at the North Wall Quay pontoons, and another at Killiney beach.
Cork will also receive two new projects, a sports activity facility at Claycastle beach in Youghal and facilities at Garrylucas beach in Ballinspittle.
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Other areas receiving new facilities include Galway city, Tramore in Co Waterford, Curracloe in Co Wexford, Acres Lake in Co Leitrim, Kilkenny’s John Street, Nenagh in Co Tipperary, as well as beaches in Clare, Kerry, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.
All facilities will be fully wheelchair accessible, and will have solar heating panels.
The Department of Tourism and Fáilte Ireland announced the funding on Thursday, and the projects will be built in partnership with local authorities. However, the new facilities will not become operational until May 2022 at the earliest.
Some of the sites are located in or near environmentally-protected sites, and planning permission has yet to be granted.
Planning consent
In a statement Fáilte Ireland said: “Each of the local authorities that have been granted funding to develop facilities centres for water-based activities under Fáilte Ireland’s Platforms for Growth scheme will now progress to a detailed project-design stage which includes appropriate planning consent.
“Environmental factors have been considered from the outset of the site-selection process at each of the 22 locations to be developed under this scheme.”
Fáilte Ireland added that some sites were located within or near to environmentally-protected areas.
“Relevant environmental assessments have been carried out at individual locations in accordance and compliance with relevant environmental legislation and regulation. These assessments will form part of the planning consent process that each local authority must consider.”
Fáilte Ireland also said the 22 centres should become operational over an 18-month period, from quarter two of 2022 to quarter four of 2023.
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council said the next stage for its Killiney project was the Part 8 planning process and tendering to procure a contractor. “We anticipate that the project will be completed in about 12 months.”
Dublin City Council said that no planning permission has been sought yet for their project at the North Wall Quay pontoons. “A design team will be appointed shortly to develop the proposal, and timelines will be established during that preliminary stage.”
Completion
Leitrim County Council confirmed planning permission had not yet been granted. “As a local authority own development, Part 8 of the Planning and Development Act will apply... completion will be approximately within 15 months of planning being granted.”
Galway City Council said its project in Terryland along the river Corrib has not yet been granted planning permission.
“We will appoint a design team that will consult with the activity providers as we are developing the plan. Our centre is adjacent to a special area of conservation so this will be a major consideration in our design process. The timeline for delivery is two years.”
Clare County Council said both of its projects, in Kilkee and Ogonnelloe in Killaloe, were at concept stage.