'Small craft harbour' at Dingle gets green light despite objections over tourism pressures

The new harbour would facilitate around 125 yachts rather than fishing vessels, according to one objection

A boat tour leaving Dingle harbour for sightseeing in 2024. Objections centred on yet further tourism, interference with views, ecology and the need for greater public consultation on the project. File picture

A “small craft harbour” to accommodate around 125 boats in Dingle’s inner harbour and fishery centre has been given the go-ahead, despite objectors saying it will add further tourism pressure to the already busy tourist town. 

The project by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will see a doubling of the number of berths for yachts and other leisure craft in the fishery harbour centre.

Demand for berths is high in Dingle where tourism activity now exceeds fishing.

Permission was granted by Kerry County Council in August 2024. A number of third parties appealed the council decision, with concerns centring on overtourism in Dingle, impact on the views, the narrowness of the harbour and the positioning of the new craft area.

The proposed development south of the west breakwater in the harbour will see 2.7 hectares of the sea bed dredged and the placement of anchoring piles, floating breakwaters for small craft pontoons, walkways and other works.

A gangway will run from the breakwater to the small craft area. Other facilities will include toilets.

Approximately 95,000m3 of material is proposed to be disposed of in the sea at Dingle Bay in an area east of the mouth of Dingle Harbour. A ‘Dumping at Sea’ application for the disposal of the dredged material in the vicinity of a previous disposal site has been sought by the department.

The sustainable establishment “of a necklace of marinas”, located at appropriate and strategic locations around the coast, is an objective of the Kerry County Development Plan.

Objections

Objections centred on yet further tourism, interference with views, ecology and the need for greater public consultation on the project. The new harbour would facilitate yachts rather than fishing vessels, according to one submission.

“The application alludes to service berths for the fishing industry, however, the local fishing industry is negligible. The proposed small craft harbour will be for a particular leisure demographic,” it stated.

Alternative options had not been adequately explored, and the new facility would be “visually intrusive and will detract from this visually sensitive location / landscape which is a valuable asset for the local tourist economy”, according to another.

Demand for berths is high in Dingle where tourism activity now exceeds fishing. File picture: Neil Michael

Another concern was raised about the narrow nature of the harbour. Additional boats travelling to and from the proposed marina would be particularly disruptive, was the view.

It was also claimed Dingle is already experiencing difficulties with increased tourism pressures and the proposed development would “worsen the situation by placing further strain on local infrastructure and eroding the qualities which make the town so special”.

An Coimisiún Pleanála decision

However, the planning board ruled in line with the recommendations of its inspector. 

The new harbour would not seriously injure the visual and residential amenities of the area and is in line with national regional and local plans and policies, including the National Marine Planning Framework 2021, An Coimisiún Pleanála said in its decision.

The commission has set a number of conditions including underwater archaeological assessment, oversight by an ecologist, and an archaeologist is to monitor all dredging works.