Greencastle Breakwater project progressing

The Greencastle Harbour Users’ (GHU) group has held its first face-to-face meeting since Covid.

During the meeting, which took place in Greencastle Community Centre, on Wednesday, February 9, the harbour users received updates on the Greencastle Breakwater Project. Donegal County Council staff also advised them about other funding opportunities and information was provided from the office of the Minister Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.

Speaking to Inish Live, Seamus Bovaird, who is secretary of the GHU group said €12 million had been allocated for completion of the breakwater, on the basis of 75% State funding, 25% County Council funding. 

He added: "It has been confirmed that the project will now be funded through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve fund, BAR, which was set up to compensate the fishing and seafood industries and their local communities for the fishing losses resulting from Brexit. 

"The government has allocated €35 million, from its €920 BAR fund, towards coastal communities to improve publicly-owned piers and harbours and discussions are still ongoing on how the balance will be divided amongst the other delivery agencies.

"The breakwater project will be going out on the E-tender platform. Preliminary notice of intention to tender should be posted on the E-tender platform next week, with full tender to follow. Full details of the project will be available on-line.

"The winner of the tender process will decide how the project will be carried out and will make the major decision on whether to bring the rock materials onto the site by sea or land. Doran Consulting, Belfast, has been engaged to advance all planning and development processes for the project," said Seamus Bovaird.

Doran Consulting has also been contracted to process a dredging licence for the inner harbour.

This will be a 5-year licence for maintenance dredging.

Seamus Bovaird said, after years of stonewalling and general disinterest from Department of Marine and Department of Environment officials, it was welcome news to hear that these officials have now adopted a much more pro-active attitude to progressing the project.

He added: "Credit to Minister McConalogue for lighting a fire under them.

"The meeting was also told that the new power supply distribution system on the pier is almost complete. This will allow a new payment system to be introduced whereby the prospective user will be connected to an automated control system, in Lifford, via an App on a mobile phone. Charges will be levied via PayPal. 

"The Council will not be recouping the installation costs of the new system so the user will only be paying at the standard rate.

"The delivery system for fresh water on the pier will also have to be reviewed, as the water supply now comes under Irish Water," said Seamus Bovaird.

A review of the harbour byelaws will also take place to update and amend current byelaws to accommodate past changes and future developments.

In addition, Seamus Bovaird said: "The Seafood Brexit Taskforce made recommendations about compensation for the Seafood sector and for the coastal communities which will lose out from the Brexit restrictions on fishing.

"It was accepted by the Taskforce that the areas which suffered the most from Brexit should gain the most from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR). Donegal suffered the most so it is anticipated that Donegal should receive the largest share of the compensation. The BAR funds must be spent within 2 years, ending November 2023, so we are late in getting started. 

"The Fishing Local Action Groups (FLAG) programme had drawn to a close in Autumn 2021, but no effort was made to establish new FLAG boards to distribute the funds coming on stream this year, leaving less time for the funding to be accessed and spent.

"As a compromise, Minister McConalogue’s office has informed us that it is now intended that the existing FLAG boards will remain in place and be used to distribute the BAR funds immediately. New FLAG boards can be put in place to oversee distribution of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture fund (EMFAF) portion of the FLAG funds before the BAR programme ends, in November 2023," said Seamus Bovaird. 

The meeting then discussed how to optimise BAR and FLAG funding for the Greencastle harbour community. 

"Communal projects around energy saving systems were suggested; photovoltaic panels on the rooves of buildings in the harbour to power services on the pier; battery powered forklifts; and the installation of a tidal powered generator at the end of the new breakwater to feed harbour power requirements.

"The Council will provide information on existing power use around the harbour to inform any energy saving project.

"Condolences were noted on the death of Paddy Havlin during the Covid lockdown. Paddy was a founder member of the Greencastle Harbour Users’ Group and had worked hard in supporting the group’s lobbying for developments in the harbour," said Seamus Bovaird.

The next GHU committee meeting will be in May to receive updates on the breakwater project and to discuss communal projects for BAR and FLAG projects.

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