THE first phase of Dun Laoghaire's proposed yacht marina will be marked today with the appointment of consulting engineers to draw up plans for the 500-berth construction.
The Minister for the Marine, "Mr Barrett, and Minister of State, Mr Eamon Gilmore, are due to sign the contract this morning with a joint team, Mouchel and McCullough. If approved, the construction may represent "the largest development of its kind" in the Stale, according to Mr Barrett.
The design and consultant team was appointed by a selection committee some weeks ago, and has been given until early spring to lodge a planning application with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown council. The team comprises Liam McCullough and partners, Dublin-based civil and structural engineers, and LG Mouchel, an international firm specialising in marine and coastal engineering which was responsible for new facilities at Holyhead in Wales.
The contract involves drawing up plans for a breakwater, pontoon access walkways for at least 500 berths, a marina base, navigational aids, landscaping, a new bridge over the DART line, refurbishment at the Stoneyard/Traders' Wharf and improvement and development of recreational/leisure facilities and structures in the Old Harbour/Coal Harbour and West Pier areas.
The needs, including training, of existing users in the Coal Harbour and West Pier areas must be taken into account, the contract stresses. This includes plans by St Michael's Rowing Club for a clubhouse, it says.
As part off the project, a full environmental impact assessment must be conducted, according 19 1989 EU regulations, it says. If approved, detailed design will then be carried out and tenders will be sought for the project's construction. The contract to be signed today is for the first phase only, and it is expected that the project could be completed by 1998, subject to planning permission.
The proposed development would be "State-controlled", according to the Department of the Marine, but would be run on a management basis with representation by the harbour authority, the users and yacht clubs. The breakwater is expected to be the most costly part of the venture, for which no overall figure has been given. The draft plan appears to rule out construction of a breakwater outside the harbour mouth, which would give better shelter in east-north-east winds.
The marina project was a key element in Dun Laoghaire's 1992 development plan, which involved construction of the £22 million ferry port for Stena Line. Outline proposals were put on public display a year ago, and the Minister for the Marine has said that it has been a "long-standing ambition" to see the vast potential of the port realised.
The development would not only secure Dun Laoghaire's place on the sailing map, but would also enhance recreational facilities for the general public, Mr Barrel has said. Like the ferryport, it would also act as a "catalyst" for the economic revival of Dun Laoghaire, he has stressed.
The Minister of State, Mr Gilmore, who is also TD for the area, believed that the outline plan had received general support. "Far from being squeezed out, as some fear, local users will be able to enjoy better facilities and security," he said yesterday.
