Fears over future of planned marina project for Mayo

The newly-elected Cathaoirleach of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District has claimed that the long-sought after marina at Westport Quay is" dead in the water" after a senior official with Mayo County Council revealed there is simply no funding for the project.

At the June meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Brendan Mulroy asked the council's Head of Marine Michael O’Boyle to provide an update on the Westport marina project.

Mr O’Boyle said the council "does not have an avenue to fund the design to construction and are desperately looking for an avenue like that". He added that Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary and Minister of State Timmy Dooley are aware of the project and the council is following it up with Fáilte Ireland.

"It is sort of a national issue, and it is not for lack of work or effort, it is the funding," he explained.

A clearly appalled Cathaoirleach stated: “We were to go to the council’s budget meeting to look for money to carry out a survey, as it was very clear we had to do that for when ministers came back with funding. However, somewhere it went in a completely different direction, back to [the council's] tourism section, and I think that was a mistake. 

"Great work was done by the voluntary Westport Marina Committee on the proposed survey but today we are no further down the line and back to square one. This is shocking. The Marina Committee put their faith in the council to help them move forward. There was no point in even getting the ministers down, if this is now the case, as it was Minister Dooley who told me we had to carry out the survey so that once they got the funding, we would be ready. But we didn’t go looking for the survey money in the budget because you decided it would go back to [the tourism section] and, of course, there is no money there.” 

The Cathaoirleach said the council had cut the councillors out of the equation and gone their own route and "broke commitments" to the Marina Committee that had put all their faith in the local authority. 

“We have a huge problem now. That marina is dead in the water. I am very disillusioned.” 

The council's Director of Services Joanne Grehan said the work being carried out by the tourism section is to make a business case for the marina, adding that a new funding stream is being opened by Fáilte Ireland.

“We had hoped to advance that at the time of the meeting, however there were delays on Fáilte Ireland’s side in opening the funding stream. After the summer is the latest date on that, so that stream is coming and Fáilte Ireland are aware of this project because the team have spoken directly to them about it.” 

The Cathaoirleach said he appreciated the update but it was “very aspirational as you are hoping against hope you will get the funding". 

"The ask for the survey was €30,000 and we would not have to worry about this if we had put it in the budget. I am so disillusioned because we clearly went against the advice of a government minister who advised us how to get this funding in place.” 

Mr O’Boyle said the council had “a height of reports” on the marina already, adding: “What we need is a for a government department to sponsor this and to tell us what we have to put into the business assessment. If I do one without knowing the criteria, it is just another report in the sky. It is the same with Roonagh. The Department is guiding us through the different stages and the council trying to do this without the oversight of a government department or Fáilte Ireland isn’t really going to work.” 

Cllr Chris Maxwell said it was very disappointing news for the business community in Westport who "make such an effort to promote the whole area”, adding: “When you have the ear of the minster they should be listened to and followed and that doesn’t seem to have happened in this case." 

Cllr John O’Malley said he too was very disillusioned, saying the whole saga reminded him of the Newport sewage treatement plant that has been delayed by more than a decade. He agreed with the Cathaoirleach that the Westport Marina project “appears to be dead in the water and we are back to square one”, adding: “It is just not good enough. This is a major project that would bring an awful lot to the Westport area.” 

Cllr O'Malley asked the Head of Marine whether the Roscahill Pier project, which was promised by July at the latest, would be completed this year, to which Mr O’Boyle replied: “No, it will be next year."

Cllr O’Malley replied: “That’s what you are telling me every year."

Cllr Mulroy quipped: “As Johnny Logan would say, what’s another year.” 

It was agreed the council would hold a workshop to discuss the issue further.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.