Angry boaters mount protest at Offaly Waterways site

A PROTEST took place in Tullamore on Monday against proposed bye-laws governing the use of rivers and canals.

A group of protesters gathered on the Cappincur road at the entrance to a site where Waterways Ireland is building a new depot and workshops on the bank of the Grand Canal.

The protesters were from various parts of the country and held banners and posters illustrating their opposition to new regulations which they claim will discourage use of the waterways.

They were hoping to bring their message directly to the Government minister with responsibility for waterways, Minister James Browne, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage because they believed a sod-turning ceremony for the new Waterways Ireland development, a Craft Centre of Excellence, was scheduled for lunchtime on Monday.

However, no such event took place and some of those gathered said it could have been because of a clash with the Government finalising its announcement on residential rent rules the same morning.

Spokespeople for Waterways Ireland and the Department of Housing said the sod turning had been postponed and the move was related to a scheduling issue regarding Government business.

They said Minister Browne will return to turn the sod with Waterways Ireland in the coming weeks.

The Shannon and canal bye-laws are being updated by Waterways Ireland and public consultation took place over the last two years.

The regulations have been drafted and are currently with Minister Browne for final approval.

John Dunne, Carrick-on-Shannon, one of those present at the protest, said waterways users had “lots of problems” with the proposed regulations.

“The fact the bye-laws haven't been signed, we think, is down to people protesting them and putting doubt in the minister's mind,” said Mr Dunne.

Alistair Morrish, Confey, Leixlip said increased charges are an issue.

“Irish people have enjoyed the right to free navigation on the natural waters of Ireland and now Waterways Ireland are proposing to bring in an annual registration charge but in the past you had to register your boat on the Shannon register, but that's a once-off registration and it's free,” said Mr Morrish.

“You pay to use whatever facilities, like lock fees, they provide. What they're proposing now is that everybody has to pay an annual fee to register. And there's no work to register a boat that's been registered last year. It's nonsense. We're now being charged to navigate where were were once able to navigate freely.”

Jerry Gleeson, who lives on board a boat on the Grand Canal at Lowtown, Robertstown, Co Kildare, is a so-called “liveaboard” and he said the fee to register a boat will go up from €126 to €1,500 in his area.

He said such “huge” price increases will be “unsustainable for somebody that's retired or on a fixed income”.

Along with the existing fee, people were already paying for the use of facilities such as the locks and pumping out holding tanks.

Furthermore, Mr Gleeson claimed that people could effectively be made homeless.

“They're also proposing to split up the communities that have formed organically and push people into different areas. And we also see that as making people homeless because people are forced.

“They have their communities, kids in school, local doctor and all of that so if you start making people move then you have also in effect made them homeless.”

In addition, he is opposed to temporary restrictions on navigation being “written into the bye-laws”.

Mr Gleeson said: “They [already] have the possibility to close the canals temporarily if they need to.”

Tom Gannon, Leitrim Tourism, said the proposed regulations threaten the future of waterways tourism at a time when numbers afloat are already in decline.

“Boat movements have gone from about 125,000 or 130,000 in the early '90s to 35-40,000 a year now so it's having a huge impact on tourism,” said Mr Gannon.

“By introducing more regulations, or whatever, it's going to further diminish the numbers on the Shannon.”

While he says he has not seen the final draft of the regulations, he fears that in addition to existing lock fees, there will be a “tax of €40 for a boat movement from the Erne down”.

Mr Gannon said: “That's going to have a huge implication, particularly on the small towns and villages, Ballinamore, Keshcarrigan, Leitrim village, and Carrick-on-Shannon, which are totally tourist dependent.

“In the first iteration of the bye-laws we understand they were going to ban winter mooring completely and we believe that's changed but we're still talking in a bit of a vacuum, we don't know what's happening.”

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He said marine operators also object to the bye-laws and he claimed that if introduced they will be a “disaster for the tourism offering” in Ireland.

The protesters said boaters have no problem paying for services once they are properly provided but instead of encouraging use of the waterways for living and navigation, obstacles are being placed in the way.

There is also an issue with navigation along the Grand Canal and boaters were critical of Waterways Ireland.

John Dunne said: “The problem is they don't maintain it. It's too much hassle to come down the canal because you pick up weeds, rubbish thrown off the bridges, the bags end up in your propeller. Whereas if it was maintained, pristine, boats would be coming down all the time.”

Mr Gannon said a Dail committee had been told waterways business is worth €650m a year to the Exchequer.

“Anything that interferes with that, where is it going to hit? Rural Ireland, and rural Ireland is already on its knees,” he said.

“Tourism is already under severe pressure with minimum wage, rates, all the regulation and everything that's there. Anything that diminishes the numbers is going to be absolutely disastrous.

We will fully support anything Waterways Ireland wants to do to improve navigation and facilities for boaters. But what they're doing flies totally in the face of that at the moment.”

Replying to a Dail question in March this year, Minister Browne said the bye-laws had remained unchanged for more than 30 years and “the needs of users have changed, environmental landscape and health and safety considerations have developed significantly and the waterways themselves have been transformed” since then.

“The purpose of updating the bye-laws is to make the waterways safer for those using the waterways, blueways and greenways, and continue to provide a valuable recreational experience for everyone to enjoy,” Minister Browne said.

The proposed revisions underwent 178 days of public consultation, there were 1,799 submissions and Waterways Ireland held 10 public consultation meetings and facilitated 27 stakeholder meetings.

Waterways Ireland then delivered an initial draft but Minister Browne said he requested they “reflect further” on the proposed fees “in light of inflationary and cost-of-living pressures on people day-to-day, and similar cost and pricing pressures in the leisure and tourism sectors”.

A revised draft was presented to the department for detailed consideration and legal review.

“It is important to note that no changes can be made to the existing bye-laws, permits, or charges and fees until the legislative process associated with the formal adoption and signing of the bye-laws has concluded,” he said.