News and views on Greystones harbour and marina [SEE MODERATOR WARNING POST 1187]

pixbyjohn

Damo9090 wrote: »

Is there anyone left down there (security wise) as i pass twice a day on the Dart and it looks like there is very little left behind the hoardings.

Netwatch are doing the security remotely hence the loudhailers

LEIN

pixbyjohn wrote: »

Netwatch are doing the security remotely hence the loudhailers

lol i didn't know that.

The Durutti Column

Damo9090 wrote: »

lol i didn't know that.

It's no joke — people are being woken up at 3.00am and all hours of the night by stentorian voices yelling at the odd trespasser..

Tabnabs

They also have security on-site. My mate came in with his rather large boat a couple of weeks back and was met by a security guard on the quay wall. He was politely (genuinely) asked to leave the harbour.

The Durutti Column

Tabnabs wrote: »

They also have security on-site. My mate came in with his rather large boat a couple of weeks back and was met by a security guard on the quay wall. He was politely (genuinely) asked to leave the harbour.

No security around on this occasion: http://youtu.be/q3p7UzpaKKM
or this one:

campbellu

Blanchflower wrote: »

I wonder did these hardy swimmers get the remote sinister loud speaking treatment that there were trespassing on a public beach?

We swam a few days in a row, first day there were 2 very brave/foolish young men in wetsuits jumping into the mouth of harbour off the wall into the "high" waves. In fairness to them they swam easily to the ladders and did it several times. They got the "loudspeaker" treatment. We think that as we went in near the boat slip and boats and people are "allowed" in this area any "voices" were not aimed at us.
Same day (first) a yacht came in and tied up in the inner harbour and they walked out onto the walls.
I believe some fisher folk on the "northern" wall were asked to leave the previous holiday weekend. The "voices" call the local Garda ?.

pixbyjohn

The Durutti Column wrote: »

It's no joke — people are being woken up at 3.00am and all hours of the night by stentorian voices yelling at the odd trespasser..

Come in number 6, your time is up

Tabnabs

The Durutti Column wrote: »

No security around on this occasion: http://youtu.be/q3p7UzpaKKM
or this one:

Yeah, but the boat in the video didn't actually tie up to the quay wall and enjoy sitting in the cockpit with a brew.

Fiachra2

Someone from howth came in to us in the Sailing Club to watch a heineken cup match and were able to tie up without hassle. It may have been arranged by GSC in advance though.
There is a roumour in the club that they are going to put a boom across the mouth of the marina basin.

Tabnabs

Fiachra2 wrote: »

There is a roumour in the club that they are going to put a boom across the mouth of the marina basin.

Why?

vinpaul

Presumably to stop boats from entering inner harbour

Tabnabs

What has a private builder/local authority harbour that got to do with the local club?

And which club, sailing or "motoryacht" club (which has some interesting founding members...)?

Fiachra2

vinpaul wrote: »

Presumably to stop boats from entering inner harbour

Correct. Apparently they are concerned about safety./insurance etc. A concern which doesnt extend to other parts of the habour as evidenced by the highly dangerous metal fence which runs down the beach. At very least this is going to scare the living daylights out of some sailor, kayaker, swimmer who gets caught in it. At worst it could drown someone.

Fiachra2

Tabnabs wrote: »

What has a private builder/local authority harbour that got to do with the local club?

And which club, sailing or "motoryacht" club (which has some interesting founding members...)?

Greystones Sailing Club.

campbellu

Fiachra2 wrote: »

Correct. Apparently they are concerned about safety./insurance etc. A concern which doesnt extend to other parts of the habour as evidenced by the highly dangerous metal fence which runs down the beach. At very least this is going to scare the living daylights out of some sailor, kayaker, swimmer who gets caught in it. At worst it could drown someone.

On the few days we swam the most common comment was the "purpose" of this highly dangerous fence, to keep people from going to the other side of it! yes, is this because this side is the proposed site for the club houses ? and as such still governed by rules of safety, we thought it would be better to take away the fence now, let people sit on the concrete steps, swim in this harbour section (which we can access anyway?) and when/if building resumes a proper secure fence could be erected/or not. Why not let us use what is there now, there may be no tomorrow! Live in the present.

Fiachra2

From the Greystones Guide

LARGE BANNERS were placed on the walls of several business premises in Greystones over the weekend as the GIVE US BACK OUR HARBOUR group steps up its campaign to have the harbour hoardings removed in time for the summer.

This phase of the campaign involves mounting banners bearing the slogan “Give Us Back Our Harbour — Take Down the Hoardings” at various points in the harbour and around the town.

Basil Miller, a local resident and spokesman for the group, explained that GUBOH represents a large group of residents and businesses in Greystones whose quality of life and level of business have been adversely affected by the unsightly hoardings.

“The community’s quality of life has been drastically affected,” said Miller. “The appearance of the whole harbour area is ruined, hospitality businesses in the area have seen massive decline in their trade and this fall-off is felt throughout the town

“The approach to Greystones from the Bray Cliff Walk now has a prison-like appearance and the community has been cut off from the marine environment which has always been central to life in our town

“We accept that the hoardings have been necessary until now for safety reasons. However, they have been in place for three and a half years, which is a great deal longer that we were originally led to believe. Work on the site ceased about six months ago and there seems little likelihood of it recommencing in the near future.

“Completion of this project is, we understand, dependent on an uplift in the housing market. Few informed commentators believe this will happen for quite a number of years. We sympathise with SISPAR’s financial difficulties but we do not believe it is acceptable for a developer to seal off a harbour and a portion of the coastline from the public for an indefinite period purely for commercial reasons.”

Miller went on to stress that GUBOH is not opposing the completion of the Bord Pleanala-approved development.

“The harbour is now built and the issue which previously divided the town is no longer relevant. The community is united in one demand. We want our harbour and seashore back, we want the public amenity which we previously enjoyed restored to the community — and we want this done in time for the summer season.

“We are also convinced that restoring this public amenity will bring some uplift to the local economy, an uplift which is badly needed in the current recession.”

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_148849258516045


GUBOH Group

Fiachra2

Its good to see public representatives coming to their senses.

This proposal is not all that is needed but it is certainly moving in the right direction.


http://www.greystonesguide.com/articles/article/6961207/156320.htm

Alan_P

Some coverage in today's Irish Times.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0531/1224298147125.html

Son of Jack

Informative.

http://greystones.posterous.com/what-happened-at-the-town-council-meeting-las

Audio from East Coast Radio.

The Lord Mayor and a representative of GUBOH discuss what was said last night at the meeting which included SISPAR

Jimjay

Son of Jack wrote: »

Informative.

http://greystones.posterous.com/what-happened-at-the-town-council-meeting-las

Audio from East Coast Radio.

The Lord Mayor and a representative of GUBOH discuss what was said last night at the meeting which included SISPAR

PleAse can someone post details, i cannot follow link on my Phone. Thanks

Cookie_Monster

Jimjay wrote: »

PleAse can someone post details, i cannot follow link on my Phone. Thanks

from Link

What happened at the Town Council meeting last night?

Mayor Ciarán Hayden and GUBOH spokesman Basil Miller discussed the outcome of the Town Council meeting on 31 May this morning on EastCoast. We and the Mayor appear to have diametrically opposed views on what exactly happened, and what Sispar did or did not promise and when.

ECFM_1_June_2011.mp3
(download)
Click here to download:
ECFM_1_June_2011.mp3 (13.31 MB)

(Better sound quality version later)

After the show, GUBOH wrote to the Mayor as follows:

I guess we will see from the minutes, but my understanding, and it's the understanding of all the GUBOH crowd there and of other councillors, is different from yours as expressed on ECFM today. Our understanding is that the only thing Sispar guaranteed to deliver is to replace the hoardings on the Cliff Road with decorative railings. Full stop. That's no more than 10% of the hoardings as they now stand, and an even tinier fraction of the total fencing around the site.

All the other aspects you mentioned this morning on ECFM did indeed arise in the course of the TC meeting, but no guarantee was given of any of them happening, still less by a set date. Everything in your plan, and presumably in ours and Derek Mitchell's also, is in Sispar's view, as stated by Paraic Keogh, subject either to NAMA approval or alternative funding — by which time summer will be over without anyone being able legally to set foot anywhere in the harbour except on the slip, and our kids yet again being prevented from playing on the beach.

That would be the fourth summer without the use of the central public amenity in Greystones being available to the public. That kind of proposal is an insult to you, to us, to all the councillors, and to the people of Greystones.

I would appeal to you to leave the politics out of it, as several councillors asked last night. I would appeal to you to join wholeheartedly with the FG and Lab groups, ourselves and the HUG in getting the initial meeting with Sispar/WCC scheduled as soon as possible.

I ask you as Mayor to use the time you have left in office to move things along, and therefore to write today in that capacity as leader of the Town Council, to Messrs Keogh, O'Rourke and Quirke asking for the meeting at the earliest possible date. You can take it that our two representatives will make themselves available at the time you choose.

We look forward to presenting a united front with you and the other councillors at that meeting in order to get public access to a properly landscaped space, to the beach, and to the pier or piers.

recedite

Jimjay wrote: »

PleAse can someone post details, i cannot follow link on my Phone. Thanks

At 06.40 of the recording Mayor Hayden says that "on 15th July we are going to have the southern end of the harbour opened up, and opened up to the public" (presumably the area south of the new slipway) Hoardings in that area will apparently be removed and replaced with decorative railings.
He also says that Sispar have agreed to put in car parking, a grassy public square area, and "pens" for the watersports clubs to store their equipment in, but is evasive concerning the timescale for that aspect of the works.

F3

recedite wrote: »

At 06.40 of the recording Mayor Hayden says that "on 15th July we are going to have the southern end of the harbour opened up, and opened up to the public" (presumably the area south of the new slipway) Hoardings in that area will apparently be removed and replaced with decorative railings.
He also says that Sispar have agreed to put in car parking, a grassy public square area, and "pens" for the watersports clubs to store their equipment in, but is evasive concerning the timescale for that aspect of the works.

Nope that's not what was said, this is pure spin, like a child grabbing the cookie jar

F3

Remove 70 m of hoarding along cliff road, replace with railings, no access to beach, no access to piers, any proposals from any TC or Group (even the penny and dime proposals that will make the harbour look worse than it does now) will, according to Sispar be issued to NaMa for funding approval......who in the name of @£;&(@)@) do you think you are trying to fool!!!.???? Too arrogant, to cosy, too Celtic Tiger Irish.........give us a break Sispar, save it for the gob****es who think they will profit from keeping you sweet.

recedite

F3 wrote: »

Nope that's not what was said, this is pure spin, like a child grabbing the cookie jar

Well, we'll see on 15th July.
Either Mayor Hayden is a man of action, getting things done, or he's a delusional soul living in cloud cuckoo land.

F3

recedite wrote: »

Well, we'll see on 15th July.
Either Mayor Hayden is a man of action, getting things done, or he's a delusional soul living in cloud cuckoo land.

Oh we will get the the 70m of hoarding replaced with railings along cliff road by then, but we will not have an amenity, we will not have access to the piers, we will not have landscaped areas, what we will have is a 'dogs dinner' to look at. Greystones needs a harbour that is not only functional, but provides a visual amenity to attract visitors and boost the town economy as well as boosting the moral of it's citizens. I can't understand why this has been allowed happen? Why is Finne Fail claiming this to be a success and if it is a success why is it fine fails success? This is typical of the party that has deceived the people of Ireland for decades, they won't deceive me!!! Fine Fail have no seats in Wicklow as far as I can see so I wonder is this some twisted attempt at a political campaign ?? I do not care much for politicians but I read that all parties are united in the campaign to give us back our harbour as an amenity for the people of Greystones, I heard that there was a consensus by the town council to leave the politics to one side and put a

United front to Sispar to get the amenity back

F3

I'm not being critical one one person who is genuinely helping to achieve the united goal of the entire town concillors and the face book group ' give us our harbour back' I just feel he should stop behaving childishly. My daughter is 6 and wants to be first all the time in school, first inside the door after break, first to finish her school work, first in line, first in every imaginable thing that a 6 year old considers important and when she is not first, she has been known to sulk for the rest of the day and be quite disruptive in class!!! We have had several meetings with her teacher to try and explain to her that life is not about always 'grabbing the cookie jar' her class mates have turned against her and she cannot understand why, she is adorable and loving, but she needs to learn that people will only take so much. She's in senior infants, maybe the Mayor should go back to school and learn how to behave!!!

Blanchflower

Based on the eyewithness accounts of nearly everyone in attendance the Fianna Fail plan on the harbour appears to have been soundly rejected by Sispar at the Town Council meeting last Monday. What Greystones needs now more than ever to get access to the harbour is a cohesive amalgamation of all the political parties. At this time of opportunity Greystones cannot afford to have any maverick politician engaging in selfish solo runs into blind alleys at the expense of the overall Greystones community.

vinpaul

Passed by harbour on Friday evening and spotted 3 or 4 men fishing from North Pier. Did they gain access from the sea or climb over the wall close to the new cove further north. What is the regulation. Are they trespassers. Was also informed that fishermen were seen on South pier some days ago. If the public are going to start using the harbour what can Sispar or WCC do about it.

The Durutti Column

vinpaul wrote: »

Passed by harbour on Friday evening and spotted 3 or 4 men fishing from North Pier. Did they gain access from the sea or climb over the wall close to the new cove further north. What is the regulation. Are they trespassers. Was also informed that fishermen were seen on South pier some days ago. If the public are going to start using the harbour what can Sispar or WCC do about it.

Near disaster yesterday involving a vessel cracking its hull on launching from the slip and subsequently capsizing outside the harbour, the rescue boat was engaged in untangling a vessel caught up in the recently moved Herris fence and the coast guard helicopter had to be dispatched to the capsize by a 999 call. Nobody hurt thank God, but the entire spectacle was observed by a group of anglers fishing off the east pier — probably your friends, Vinpaul.

We need rapid action from Sispar to make the area safe and open it to safe public use with by-laws and supervision. The site is totally porous, there is no live security, only NetWatch, and to ensure safety, insofar as a working harbour can be safe, it needs to be finished, have a harbour aithority, Harbour Master, by-laws and enforcement. That Herris fence has to go — they moved it a little, but as yesterday showed it is still a menace, and a junior sailing training course has just begun -- lasts for two weeks.