Galway County Council has refused to extend planning permission for a new quay at Ros a Mhíl, as work had yet to begin on the multi-million euro project.
The Department of Agriculture, Food & The Marine received approval for a new deep water quay at the Ros a Mhíl Fishery Harbour Centre back in 2018.
The current planning permission is not due to expire until April of 2023, but the Department is already seeking a five year extension of that approval.
In the application submitted in April, it was stated that work was due to begin in May, with an estimated completion date of July 2024.
The requirement for ‘substantial works’ to have been carried out in order to grant an EOD comes under new planning regulations which came into force last September.
This is not a major setback for the project, as with work expected to commence this summer, there will still be time to submit another Extension of Duration application later this year, or in early 2023.
The harbour redevelopment project consists of a deep water quay providing 200m of berthing frontage at the harbour.
An area directly behind the quay will also be reclaimed in order to provide a hard surface link to the shore.
Other construction work involved in the project will include low concrete sea walls, a rock armour revetment, an access road, lighting, drainage, and ancillary site works.
An Environmental Impact Statement was submitted with the original application.
The government announced in February of this year that €25 million would be invested in the expansion and redevelopment of the state owned Fishery Harbour Centre at Ros a Mhíl.
It was hoped that the project, which centred around the new deep water quay, would allow larger fishing vessels to dock at the Connemara harbour.
This would bring Ros a Mhíl more in line with the facilities available at Killybegs and Castletownbere, making it more commercially viable for the region.
A report by Údarás na Gaeltachta also highlighted that Ros a Mhíl is well placed to serve as a support hub for offshore wind power developments.
The redevelopment and expansion of the harbour will be funded under the Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme.
