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Houseboats at Grand Canal Dock. RollingNews.ie

Affordability of houseboat fee hike at Grand Canal Dock being reviewed after concerns raised

Waterways Ireland CEO says it has taken on board the concerns around affordability of a 700% increase in fees.

PROPOSALS TO INCREASE the fees paid by those living in houseboats at Grand Canal Dock by 700% is being reviewed, Waterways Ireland Chief Executive Officer John McDonagh has said. 

Earlier this year, concerns were raised by those living in the docklands that they were to face steep annual fee increases and accused Waterways Ireland of attempting to gentrify the canal and ‘displace’ those who’ve made it their home.

Waterways Ireland proposed a hike from €578 to €4,000 annually and rising to €7,500 over a six-year period for those living at the serviced site at Grand Canal Dock.

A serviced mooring site gives access to a water tap and electricity point for each houseboat. Electricity is not included in the permit fee. Residents use a top up card to pay for their electricity usage. 

Refuse is collected at the Grand Canal and a pump out station for waste is located on the opposite side of the marina. However the services provided vary in different locations.

The houseboat residents said such fees could lead to homelessness for traditional canal boat dwellers who cannot afford the fee increases. 

Concerns about sharp rise in fees 

Fianna Fáil’s James O’Connor and Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy raised concerns at committee today about the sharp rise, stating that the Waterways Ireland has been accused of not fully engaging with those that live on the canal.

McDonagh said Waterways Ireland has taken on board the concerns raised about the affordability of the fees.

He told the committee “we’re currently looking again at the affordability aspect of the fees”.

“Affordability is a key factor in determining the outcome in relation to fees,” he added.

Initially, a report carried out by KPMG set out some fee structures that they felt were appropriate. Since that report, there have been two further revisions and fee calculations have also been carried out by Inland Waterways Association of Ireland.

Operations Controller Éana Rowe said the fee structure is being considered and the process is hoped to conclude before the summer is out. 

McDonagh said some of the fees have not changed in nearly 30 years, and the agency was attempting to bring them up to date.

However, O’Connor said the fee hike seemed to be a “very excessive rise over a limited point in time”, stating that it appeared Waterways Ireland was attempting a policy adjustment to catch up with not making adjustments over the years.  

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Oct 11th 2024, 7:03 AM

    Bonuses all round for the Irish Water top brass. Hundreds of millions being handed over to them and they can’t fix the simplest of things. Can you just imagine handing over your hard earned money to those wasters?

    290
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    Mute CP
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    Oct 11th 2024, 7:05 AM

    @David Corrigan: we do already hand our hard earned money over to them

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Oct 11th 2024, 7:07 AM

    @CP: True CP. But they wanted more.

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    Mute Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson
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    Oct 11th 2024, 7:50 AM

    @David Corrigan: they are funded by central exchequer , your taxes, not a magic money tree.

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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:22 AM

    @David Corrigan: you do that with each pay packet…

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    Mute Liam23
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:33 AM

    @David Corrigan: Irish water is funded through the Exchequer via General Taxation, SF and other opposition parties pressured the government into it. In fairness Irish water, they have being in exsistance 12 years and have got through a huge amount of work. They took over a national service with a crumbling infrastructure. A infrastructure was was long ignored and underfunded by every county council in the country. I’d say the money spent by IW over the last 10 years if far higher than the previous 50 years before that.

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    Mute Justin Mcnulty
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    Oct 11th 2024, 1:54 PM

    @David Corrigan: hi David, hate to be a bore but could you detail your simple fix and associated costs and timeliness for completion please.

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    Mute Brian
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    Oct 11th 2024, 3:25 PM

    @Liam23: What utter BS. MM, then leader of the opposition, called for the suspension of water charges in exchange for a confidence and supply agreement with FG in 2016. Nothing to do with SF or ‘ other opposition parties’. As usual every siht show, in every sector, in this country is down to FFG.. nobody else.

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    Mute P. V. Aglue
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    Oct 11th 2024, 8:14 AM

    Shush with these sort of articles, the public have bought into our “it’s all the farmers fault” mantra, they don’t need to know it their own waste their drinking.

    107
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    Mute thomas molloy
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    Oct 11th 2024, 8:53 AM

    @P. V. Aglue: “An ecosystem is a relatively self-contained community of interacting organisms and the environment they live in, and interact with. There is a flow of energy within an ecosystem and nutrients within it are recycled. There are both living (biotic) components and non-living (abiotic)components within an ecosystem”

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    Mute Lina Stein
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    Oct 11th 2024, 8:57 AM

    2030??
    Are they kidding?
    This is a serious risk to public health.

    Newport, Co. Mayo, has increased in population, has more “bums on seats” and the raw sewage is piped out a short distance into Clew Bay only for the tides and currents to bring it all floating back up the Blackoak river every day. On a high tide the discharge bubbles up the drains in the streets and houses near the water and I don’t need to describe the putrid odour. Fishing, swimming or kayaking is impossible.

    97
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    Mute Max
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:21 AM

    She said 16 towns and villages emitting raw sewage every day in Ireland. I think she’s taking the p is, there are that many in every county. But they’ll keep blaming the farmers a handy scrap goat.There are 9 villages within 10 miles from me, 3 of them have treatment plants, the rest store it up and let it off by night, or some of them at high tide

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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:52 AM

    @Max: It’s the chemicals that seep into the water, pray tell how that is anything but farmers’ fault?

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    Mute P. V. Aglue
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    Oct 11th 2024, 11:16 AM

    @Brian D’Arcy: there’s more nitrogen in the atmosphere than there’ll ever be in water

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Oct 11th 2024, 3:41 PM

    @P. V. Aglue: does it poison waterways while suspended in the atmosphere?

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    Mute Laois Weather
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    Oct 11th 2024, 10:02 AM

    The state can pollute to it’s hearts content but there’s blue murder if the farmer puts a foot wrong. It’s high time the state officials got the same treatment the farmers have been subjected to for many years now.

    69
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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    Oct 11th 2024, 7:07 AM

    Green party taxes….the hypocrisy!

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    Mute Free Mee
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:26 AM

    How many workers does it take to change a light bulb? None. We have an essential street light out of order for 3 years in Dublin. Where are our taxes really going?

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    Mute Argus Romsworth
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    Oct 11th 2024, 6:58 AM

    Also in skerries. Half a km right of shenick. There’s a stream there. It’s awful smelly.

    69
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    Mute M.G. Kelly.
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:23 AM

    @Argus Romsworth: and loughrea in Co. Galway. Raw sewerage flowing into the local river for the last 60 years and from the “new” treatment plant since it was opened. How many more are omitted from the list?

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:17 AM

    Imagine the private sector faced such scrutiny.

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    Mute Meh Meh
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:33 AM

    Imagine fining yourself? Which is what we are essentially doing. How quickly would you change your ways? If UE can’t be bothered to fix these problems in a timely manner, then I’m all for using my tax monies to employ someone who can. It’s like the Metro, China said they would build and manage it, but we refused. If we can’t do something ourselves without wasting billions on it, it might be time to hold up our hands and admit defeat, then commission somebody who can get the job done.

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    Mute Buster Lawless
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    Oct 11th 2024, 7:49 AM

    How can I swim in the rivers with disgusting sewage!? A disgusting disgrace

    40
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    Mute Dave c
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:31 AM

    Not to mention what comes out of Mary Lou !

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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:50 AM

    @Dave c: Yawn, must have taken you all day to think that up.

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    Mute Peter Byrne
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    Oct 11th 2024, 8:43 AM

    Problem all across Europe. I saw raw sewerage coming out of the overflows on the street in Lanzarote while I was there a few weeks ago

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    Mute Buster Lawless
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    Oct 11th 2024, 2:53 PM

    @Peter Byrne: I think that was the volcanic Ash.. the people are very clean in lanzarote

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    Mute sakk sa
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    Oct 11th 2024, 9:47 AM

    Longford , includes pharmaceutical waste

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Oct 11th 2024, 11:59 AM

    Stopping the raw sewage from Leinster House should be the priority!

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    Mute Oh Mammy
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    Oct 11th 2024, 2:29 PM

    The usual NGO mouth pieces have traps sewn shut today.

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    Mute Ned
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    Oct 11th 2024, 4:59 PM

    Blame climate change that’s the green media answer to issues they report on, a but the green politicians tend to be looking the other way on this one.

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    Mute Oh Mammy
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    Oct 11th 2024, 2:28 PM

    Government is the problem

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    Mute tara tevlin
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    Oct 11th 2024, 1:08 PM

    Some KIP

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