Sailors fear bay access loss

A group of boat-owners has expressed fears that the last public access to Dublin Bay will vanish when the £18 million marina in Dun Laoghaire is completed.

Public access to the harbour could be severely restricted after the running of a boatyard in Coal Harbour was handed over to private interests, according to local boat-owners.

Management of the boatyard is to be delegated to Marina Marketing and Management Ltd (MMM), which was awarded the contract for the State marina last year.

The boat-owners un Laoghaire's sailing clubs, fear the move to make the Coal Harbour yard "more commercial" will increase vessel storage prices, in spite of repeated assurances during the planning stages. The group, which has formed an alliance known as the Coal Harbour Users' Group (CHUG), also believes it will have an impact on local rowing-club activity and access to the public slipways.

Mr Noel Brien, chairman of CHUG, said a "difficult, disappointing" meeting had been held last week with the chief executive of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, Mr Michael Hanahoe. Mr Brien said CHUG had received an assurance from the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, two months ago that public rights would not be "eroded or compromised".

Mr Hanahoe said: "At our meeting I undertook to speak to the board regarding the group's concerns, and will talk to CHUG upon response from the board." Mr Tom Power, spokesman for MMM Ltd, told The Irish Times yesterday access would only be restricted for security reasons, as boats would have to be protected. Work on the east breakwater for the project is well on schedule, and noise levels have already aroused objections in the residential area adjoining the harbour. Work is starting as early as 4 a.m., when the sound of tonnes of rocks being unloaded has no camouflage from traffic noise.