Ground Broken On New Coast Guard Site

Earth calling photo-op… TUES18NOV25

t’s been a ridiculously long and grinding road for Greystones Coast Guard’s new HQ, but the wait is finally over. 

For today, the ground was broken on a site that has been waiting patiently for 17 whole years.

It was all smiles from Ministers Seán Canney and Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran plus local politicians such as John Brady, Melanie Corrigan and Lourda Scott this afternoon, but very step of the process to this day has faced major delays.

To the point that it took 15 years for Wicklow County Council to finally sell the harbour site for the new HQ, meaning it could then actually go out to tender.

And then, as has often happened with important builds around here, nothing happened.

Back in 2020, we were hearing from future President Simon Harris that the Office of Public Works had lodged plans for the new build with Wicklow County Council.

Which was only proper, given that the site was ready 12 years before that, with a purpose-built slip ready and patiently waiting ever since.

Hurrah! And then, for the next five years, nada.

So, the happy news today is that the great and the good gathered down at the harbour just before lunch as work on the shiny Greystones Coast Guard’s new HQ was finally christened.

Just so you know what we’re dealing with here, approved planning application no.25176 goes a little something like this…

a) the continuation of current granted permission Reg. Ref. 20/35 for construction of a new Coast Guard Station to facilitate the Irish Coast Guard for local emergency rescue. The proposed building will consist of a single storey boathouse / vehicle store with flat roof and a single storey accommodation block with mono pitch roof.

Coast Guard HQ late 1800s

The proposed building will have a combined floor area of 257 square metres and a maximum overall roof height of 7.8m above adjacent public space. Proposals include high level windows and 3 no. roof lights. Proposed external finishes comprise fair-faced concrete, zinc roofing, metal framed windows, and building signage; b) a vehicular access point and 3 no. flag poles are proposed to the north east corner of the site; c) provision of 1 no. accessible car parking space within the rear yard on hard landscaping, CCTV and lighting;

Boxer & Harris pay a visit 24OCT18

d) new foul drainage, surface water drainage, and all associated ancillary works on a site area of 0.0517ha. Alterations to current granted permission Reg. Ref. 20/35 included as part of this permission consist of: e) internal configuration of the accommodation block; f) reduction in the extent of the site (northern boundary has been reduced); g) creation of a 1.5mx1.8m deep concrete entrance canopy over the northern public entrance door; h) omission of the radio aerial mast; i) reduction in the number of assigned car parking spaces from 8no. to 1no.

Yowsa! Our coast guard finally have a home right on the water! A far cry from its original home, where Blacklion Vet Hospital is today.

The only resistance to the new site was from harbour master Bernard Gallagher, who was worried about his boatyard business getting a little cramped. So much so that the lad sent four separate objections. Fun fact! The boatyard business in question was originally the designated unloading site for fishing boats.

The August planning approval came with two standard-issue conditions. Firstly that before development commences, a full and details construction management plan must be submitted to and agreed in writing with the Planning Authority. And secondly, that there must be written agreement from Uisce Éireann the the provision of water services necessary to serve the proposed development.

And while we have you there, the move out of the Greystones Coast Guards current shack might just trigger the long-overdue renovations of the neighbouring garda station. If anyone has seen the toilets in that place, I think it would be fair to say that Greystones gardaí really do have nothing to go on.

Here’s hoping that particular promise doesn’t drag on for two decades as well…