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Schull locals lobby TDs on harbour

October 30th, 2015 5:10 PM

By Jackie Keogh

Schull locals lobby TDs on harbour Image
Schull harbour.

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Three community organisations in Schull have joined forces to lobby West Cork’s sitting TDs to support a €6m harbour development plan.

THREE community organisations in Schull have joined forces to lobby West Cork’s sitting TDs to support a €6m harbour development plan.

Schull Community Council and Schull Business and Tourism Association have teamed up with the Schull Harbour Development Company to argue their case for funding.

Paul Phillips, a spokesperson for the Schull Business and Tourism Association, told The Southern Star: ‘We have combined our efforts to lobby all three sitting TDs to put the final piece of funding in place so this project can proceed.There has been substantial investment in a lot of coastal communities throughout West Cork but we feel that Schull has been neglected,’ he added.

The representatives of the three organisations had their first meeting with Labour TD Michael McCarthy recently and he undertook to raise the issue with the Minister for Transport Pascal Donohoe.

The Schull Harbour Development Company is a community project that has already enjoyed considerable success in securing a 10-year planning permission that was granted in 2007 for a 235-berth marina, as well as the extension of the existing pier for fishing and ferry operators.

The company, which was established in 2006, has already raised €370,000 after 100 people paid €3,000 for an entitlement to buy a licence for a berth in the proposed marina with other contributions coming from the people of Schull town.

The public private plan is, however, dependent on securing funding from a number of sources. For the project to be successfully completed, the Schull Harbour Development Company will need to raise an estimated €3.5m in terms of investment and borrowings, as well as €2.5m from public sources. But Schull Harbour Development Company has already secured, in principle, a matching loan over a 12-year period.

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