'Breakthrough' hailed in Waterford dredging project stalemate
Helvick harbour. Picture by Shannon Sweeney
Waterford TD Conor McGuinness has said there is a way that dredging works at Cé Heilbhic can be funded.
The Chair of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs said that the government has been unwilling to fund the project for years, which has put local fisherman and the lifeboat service at risk.
“As Chair of the Committee, I held dedicated hearings on the neglect of smaller fisheries harbours.
“We heard directly from local government, from the inshore sector and from the RNLI about the urgent need for proper national oversight and investment. The message was clear.
“The Central Government must take a more active role in maintaining and developing this critical coastal infrastructure.
The current funding model is not fit for purpose,” said Deputy McGuinness.
Deputy McGuinness said the surveys, studies, licences and environmental consents needed for the project are costly, and Waterford City and County Council has repeatedly been left without support.
But after meetings with Minister for State with special responsibility for fisheries, Timmy Dooley and the local authority, Deputy McGuinness said there is a solution that could work for everyone.
“Over recent months, there has been extensive back and forth, but I have now identified a mechanism that allows the Council to spread the cost of these works across a number of years and sites.
“Crucially, the Chief Executive has confirmed that he will progress this approach, and the Minister has indicated that once the preparatory consents are secured, his Department will fund the substantive dredging works,” said Deputy McGuinness.
He acknowledged the work of his Sinn Féin colleague in the local area, Kate O’Mahoney and the work of senior officials at Waterford City and County Council.
And he said the breakthrough reflects the concerns repeatedly raised by coastal communities and the wider inshore sector.
“Our coastal communities deserve more than lip service.
"They deserve investment, infrastructure and a Government that takes responsibility for the harbours that sustain local jobs, safety at sea and the future of inshore fishing.
"This breakthrough moves us closer to that goal, and I will continue to press for full delivery of the works at Cé Heilbhic without further delay,” said Deputy McGuinness.
