€15m SPLASH IN DUBLIN
A 50-metre, heated pool angers local councillors
DUBLIN City dwellers are to get a lavish open-air heated swimming pool at a cost of €15million.
The City Council has already earmarked a site on Custom House Quay for the 50-metre public arena.
And it will be a companion project to the controversial whitewater rafting facility in the Docklands area, which will cost even more, at €22million.
However, the proposal has infuriated local politicians who complain that Dubliners would have ‘to-diefor’ beaches if only Dublin bay was cleaned up.
Another described the costly plan as ‘another pet project’ for council chief Owen Keegan.
The council claims the Sea Pool project will help create a tourist Mecca around the docks area, which already has the Jeanie Johnston famine ship and the EPIC diaspora museum.
‘The combination of these amenities will attract families from Dublin and from other parts of Ireland, and will give our overseas visitors a new and very healthy option to enjoy their stay in our capital city,’ the council said.
A feasibility study established that a site on the northside of the
Liffey, close to the Seán O’Casey footbridge, was the best location for the proposed swimming pool.
Other locations considered but discounted were Spencer Dock, Grand Canal Dock and a section of the quays near the 3 Arena.
The plans envisage that the pool will be two metres deep – that’s 6ft 6in, making it out of depth for both adults and children – but there will be an adjustable section to reduce the depth for children. It will have fresh water heated to 26C.
Docklands Area Manager Derek Kelly said the local authority had originally considered incorporating an open-air public swimming pool as part of its plans for the white-water rafting facility at George’s Dock but found that was not possible.
The €22million white-water rafting site, beside the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), has generated considerable controversy over its high cost at a time of pressure on the council’s finances and the city’s housing and homelessness crisis.
Independent city Councillor Mannix Flynn, said the swimming pool plan ‘beggars belief’ when you consider that ‘Irish Water is telling us that they’s no water security’. He said the Liffey is basically sewage, adding: ‘We have to-die-for beaches in Dollymount, to-die-for beaches in Sandymount. We have the most exquisite bay, that’s world renowned, and a great place to swim except it’s full of s***. And here we have Dublin City Council telling us that they want to build a commercialised swimming pool at the Seán O’Casey bridge to compliment the whitewater rafting. You really have to ask yourself, is Owen Keegan fit for purpose?’
Independent Councillor Anthony Flynn, who is also the founding member of Inner City Helping Homeless,v said: ‘It’s absolutely ridiculous, another pet project from the CEO, Owen Keegan. We need to prioritise what needs to be done in this city, and at the moment I don’t think whitewater rafting or a swimming pool should be top of our priorities. There’s a lot of people that are going to be unemployed over Covid. We have communities that are on their knees at the moment – and we are prioritising a swimming pool.’
But Mr Keegan said investing in such infrastructure was important for when the tourism sector recovers following the pandemic.
It is envisaged that the council and Dublin Port Company will offer a 30-year lease, after which ownership would transferto Dublin City Council. Although the winning bidder is likely to spend more than €15million on the project, the council said they could expect to have revenue of over €100million from a 30-year licence.
The feasibility study said the Custom House Quay site was an attractive option due to its proximity to the city centre and very good public transport links.
However, it noted that a strong tidal flow was a disadvantage.
Mr Kelly claimed preliminary studies indicated the project was unlikely to have a significant environmental impact.
He pointed out that similar facilities such as the Allas Spa complex in Helsinki, which contains a smaller pool for children, saunas, as well as a café and restaurant, attracted annual attendances of 800,000.
Other cities with large outdoor public pools include Paris, Berlin and Copenhagen.
The issue is due to be debated at a meeting of the council’s southeast area committee meeting next Monday.