Council pursues marina over payment failure

The promoters of a marina officially opened by Marine Minister Simon Coveney are being pursued by a local authority for failure to pay planning contributions.

Cork Harbour’s new 82-berth marina has been up and running for almost a year. Mr Coveney officially opened it this month.

However, Cork County Council spokesman confirmed its planning enforcement section had been pursuing the developer of the Monkstown Bay Marina Company for several months as payment of the contributions was a condition of planning permission.

According to the council, the obligatory planning levies were partly to be used to contribute to the provision of parallel parking in the Monkstown area.

New traffic calming measures were also to be put in place, the council said. It is believed the sum owed is under €100,000.

The council had drawn up a traffic calming and parking scheme for the village eight years ago but the funding had not been available to commence any work.

It was hoped the marina project — which was warmly welcomed in the area — would allow such improvements to be made.

In general, any type of construction cannot proceed without prior payment of some or all of the prescribed planning contributions.

In the case of the marina, construction began on the water — an area outside the control of the local authority. It is when the marina breaks a sea wall that it enters local authority jurisdiction.

The Monkstown Bay Marina Company last night refused to comment on the issue beyond saying it was in talks with the local authority.

Much of the housing in the lower Monkstown area is terraced and homeowners have no choice but to park on the street.

Locals have expressed concern that if the road was lined with cars and boat trailers from the marina, they would have nowhere to park their own cars. They also claim it would be dangerous for pedestrians attempting to cross the road.

Passage West/Monkstown mayor Cllr Seamus McGrath (FF) said he could not comment on the matter without having all the up-to-date facts.

However, Passage West/Monkstown Cllr John Daly (FG) said Cork County Council “should have kept tabs on the matter from day one”.

“They took their eye off the ball. This is equivalent to hundreds of household charges. I have always supported the marina but this is a substantial sum owed to the authority.”

Cork County Council recently granted the developer planning permission to expand the marina to a 285-fingered berth marina with 175 car parking spaces, and a marina pavilion building incorporating a bar/restaurant, chandlery, marine and boat sales office, gym, changing rooms with showers, toilets, and laundry facilities.

Mr Coveney was unable to comment on the matter as he is in China.