Whitmore Calls For Wicklow Port Dredging

When de boat comes in…

atest press release from Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, issued on Monday, April 3rd 2023…

Social Democrats TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore has said that urgent dredging works is needed at Wicklow Port.

“Wicklow Town has a long maritime tradition with an active fleet of fishing boats, a vibrant leisure scene with its rowers, swimmers, sailors and scouts, a lively tourism sector hosting the Round Ireland Yacht race every two years. It is an asset to the town and needs to be treated as such. The port needs dredging due to years of siltation build up which hasn’t been cleared.

“It’s also home to Wicklow Lifeboat Station with the D Class lifeboat moored upriver and a commercial sector that utilise the port facilities for cargo such as timber, glass and scrap metal and access to the harbour for windmill boats servicing the Codling windfarm. To hear that the silt ingestion and other navigational hazards in the river are left to deteriorate does not make sense.

“As we move into further expansion of off shore wind farms, we need to get Wicklow Port into a better position, otherwise opportunities will be missed in the future. The port is also a source of local employment. We need to invest in the port now to safeguard work in Wicklow Town for the next generation.

“Recently I met with local maritime stakeholders who highlighted the ongoing impact and precarious nature of the situation faced in Wicklow port from a commercial and public safety perspective.

“I have called on the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage to answer questions about the foreshore licence needed for the maintenance of Wicklow harbour and to make him aware of the considerable constraints placed on the users of the harbour due to the extreme deterioration that has been allowed to occur.

“It’s crucial, especially now with the transition from the department to the new body MARA, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, that Wicklow Harbour is kept high on the agenda and the necessary works needed to facilitate its users is commenced,” concludes Whitmore.

Now, go check out our mediocre Wicklow Town archives here.