The Government of Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is being urged to prioritize the Howth Harbor dredging project in 2019.
Dublin Bay North TD Tommy Broughan said in his latest announcement that he has been asking the respective Ministers for Agriculture, Food and the Marine about the Howth dredging plans for a number of years.
According to Broughan, the need to dredge the build-up of silt at the busy harbor has been an urgent issue for all those working in and around the harbor and for the Yacht Club and other popular water sports based in Howth.
“ The build up of silt at Howth is a threat to the livelihoods of everyone who works there and to our sailing and fisheries community and so the dredging is urgently needed, ” said Broughan.
“Even the Government’s own report confirmed the need for dredging. I am urging Minister Michael Creed to prioritize a dredging project for 2019.”
Meetings and scoping reports have been undertaken since June 2016 and Deputy Broughan was informed in July 2018 that “ this assessment is ongoing ” and that “ the €100k allocated in this year’s capital program is for further detailed studies, including scoping, shore based re-use of dredge material and land-use layout options. In this regard a full design competition is to be tendered later this year to bring the project forward through the planning and environmental approvals stage”.
Howth is one of the six designated State-owned Fishery Harbor Centers and is a busy and well-functioning harbor.