Ambitious plan for lakeside harbour in Garrykennedy
A TOTAL regeneration of the inner lakeside harbour in the scenic village of Garrykennedy is being planned by Tipperary County Council.
The council has applied to An Coimisiún Pleanala, formerly An Bord Pleanala, seeking approval to carry out works on its harbour in the village.
The works proposed by the council involve the clearance of unsightly boats that have been abandoned by their owners.
Some boats have been badly neglected and local representatives say they are blight on an otherwise beautiful village.
In some cases, abandoned boats have lay under water in the harbour for many years due to neglect.
Over a protracted period local representatives have complained about the situation and called for action to be taken.
Works planned by the council include addressing safety concerns in relation to the existing boardwalk around the harbour.
The council wants to remove the old timber structure and replace it with new floating pontoons, creating 47 small boat berths.
New facilities planned by the local authority for the harbour include access to the water for wheelchair users and an extension to the existing welfare building to provide a “changing places” facility.
PARKING CHANGES
As part of its plan the council wants to carry out alterations to its existing parking provision in order to facilitate four “recreational vehicle parking spaces” with power and water points.
Over the past several years Garrykennedy has attracted lots of visitors in camper vans who flock to enjoy the lake amenity and the two renowned pubs in the village and multi-award winning restaurant.
Othe works planned may include “updated accessible parking and provision of bike parking / changing facilities”.
The footprint for the proposed works falls within the Lough Derg Special Protection Area.
A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) has been prepared in respect of the proposed development.
Plans and details of the proposed development together with the NIS are available for inspection, free of charge, at Nenagh Municipal District Offices in the Civic Offices in Nenagh.
Copies of the plan may be purchased and details may be viewed on the council’s website.
The issues was discussed briefly at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District.
District Administrator, Rosemary Joyce, said that pending planning permission being given by the planning board to carry out the works, the council would then go to central government to seek funding for the project.
She informed councillors that the municipal district would have to compete against other projects throughout the county seeking similar aid under a government “outdoor recreation” grant.
Cllr John Carroll said the village of Garrykennedy and the view of Lough Derg from the location was “breath-taking”.
He and other councillors expressed the hope that the council would be successful in its planning application and with getting funding for its ambitious improvement project.