7 years after it was built, the Grand Canal Marina (in the Inner Dock of the Grand Canal Basin) with its landmark Box in the Docks remains criminally underused, despite the fact that it was built and maintained with public money.
Every year in July a flotilla comes in for a few weeks, bringing tourists into the area and providing a boost to the local economy, but for the other 50 weeks a year it is almost always empty due to the unreasonable regulations of Waterways Ireland. Cllr. Kieran Binchy has joined with local residents and members of the boating community in a campaign to force Waterways Ireland to open the marina up and to allow more boats to use the Marina for longer. He is also working to get local community groups involved with the Waterways Centre, as it too is rarely made available to local groups.
Following a meeting organised by Cllr. Binchy, Waterways Ireland has committed to amending the rules and to allowing boats to make full use of this amenity. It looks like this terrible waste of tax-payer’s money is finally at an end.