White-water rafting attraction in Dublin gets go-ahead from councillors
Councillors in Dublin City have voted to let a controversial plan for a white-water rafting attraction go ahead at George's Dock in the north inner city.
The cost of the project has risen from just €12.2m to more than €22m since it was first proposed.
Councillors spent over an hour debating the plan at their monthly meeting this evening and eventually backed it 37 votes to 19.
Derek Kelly from the City Council's docklands unit told councillors the increase in the total project cost was just bad timing.
The centre will provide a facility for people who wish to kayak, canoe or go river rafting.
There will also be a training facility for emergency services while existing buildings will be demolished to create changing and storage facilities.
Last month, the multi-million euro plan for the currently unused space was approved by councillors on the Central Area Committee.
The council says it expects 30,000 people to use the facility each year.
Canoeing Ireland said last month a white-water rafting course in Dublin's Docklands would be a game-changer for the sport.
"We have no facility like this at all to train in in Ireland," said Dermot Morely from Canoeing Ireland.
"All of our young people who want to progress in the sport must go abroad. They are training in the UK and in Europe."
