Waterways Ireland is drawing up plans to sell the heritage, “graving docks”, part of the Grand Canal Docks in Dublin, on the open market.
As The Irish Times reports, graving docks are effectively dry docks into which ships can be sailed before the water is removed, allowing work on parts of ships that would have been inaccessible when the vessel was afloat.
Opened in 1796 on the completion of the Grand Canal from the Shannon to the Liffey, there were originally three graving docks built parallel to each other at the eastern end of the Grand Canal Dock, but one was filled in and in recent years has been home to the Viking Splash Tours base.
A second graving dock is home to the former passenger ship the Naomh Éanna, which belonged to CIE, a former owner of the waterway.
The graving docks are now part of the Docklands Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) where they are known as “City Block 19” and represent one of the last parcels of land in the area which has not been redeveloped.
Redevelopment proposals
Under the SDZ masterplan the triangular-shaped parcel containing the graving docks is to be used for residential, commercial and community use.
Waterways Ireland which is the current owner of waterways infrastructure had put forward a number of redevelopment proposals including a Danish-inspired housing development on stilts over the docks, in a parkland setting.
However, at a recent meeting of the Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum, a representative of Waterways Ireland said it was now planning to “dispose” of the property.
Waterways Ireland subsequently confirmed plans were being drawn up to sell the site “on the open market”.
While the authority said it was “currently considering a range of options”, it said: “One option being explored is sale on the open market.
This option would enable the achievement of the vision for Grand Canal Dock within a shorter timeframe and would remove any additional burden on the public
