A consortium of yacht clubs has made a bid to manage the new £10£12 million marina at Dun Laoghaire harbour, Co Dublin, when it is completed in 2001.
The Dun Laoghaire Combined Clubs (DLCC) group emphasises it is "non-elitist" and aims to use the 680-berth marina as a foundation for wider and more affordable public participation in sailing.
The group is one of several tenders for management of the development, which was submitted to the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company by yesterday's deadline. It is understood to have secured initial investment of £4 million for its bid.
DLCC represents six Dun Laoghaire sailing clubs: the four waterfront clubs of the Royal St George, Royal Irish Yacht Club, National Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, along with the Dublin Bay Sailing Club and the Royal Alfred Yacht Club.
The bid is also supported by the Irish Sailing Association. The clubs have almost 5,000 members, and represent up to 15,000 people when families and crews are taken into account.
The tender stresses the advantage of dealing with an experienced group that is not commercial and is not seeking to make profits. It promises reasonable berthing costs, a good concession fee for the harbour company, and a well-funded facility for berth-holders.
"We will also be able to put additional revenues into the development of boating in the area," the group's chairman, Mr Martin Crotty, said at a briefing in Dublin yesterday. Any surplus in running costs would be reinvested in leisure sailing.
"Our expertise will ensure a seamless and painless changeover to a marina operation in the harbour, with people totally familiar with and committed to our business," Mr Crotty said. "The ethos of the DLCC proposal is to support the sport of sailing." Members and non-members of clubs would be given equal treatment in terms of berth prices, access and opportunities for involvement in training, championships, events and promotions.
Mr Michael Hanahoe, Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company's chief executive, said the tenders were confidential and a decision would be taken before the company's next board meeting in March.
It is understood that at least one major British company associated with marina management has also submitted a bid.
The 680-berth marina, which will be the State's largest when built, will incorporate two breakwaters between the West Pier and ferry terminal, marina service buildings, an amenity area, a boat hoist and slipway improvements. Some £3 million in State funds and a promise of £1 million in EU funds was secured for construction of the breakwaters by the former marine minister, Mr Sean Barrett, who is Fine Gael TD for Dun Laoghaire, before leaving office last year.
Currently the harbour accommodates fewer than 600 moorings, some 300 of which are controlled by yacht clubs. The State-backed project promises a substantial increase in accommodation for vessels, with each berth costing an estimated £3,000 to £4,000.
