‘Reality must set in’ on mooted lido for George's Dock, council chief Richard Shakespeare says
Despite a majority of public submissions calling for a lido at George’s Dock in the capital, Dublin City Council’s (DCC) chief executive Richard Shakespeare said it is far from guaranteed.
Of the more than 2,000 public submissions for the future of the disused space, 70pc wanted to see it put to recreational use, and 90pc of those sought either a lido or public swimming pool.
A lido is an outdoor, open swimming facility, usually with other amenities such as saunas, cafes or seating areas located nearby.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr Shakespeare said that once the dust settles on the consultation, however, “reality has to set in.”
"So, you’ve got to take the volume and look at the merits of what it can deliver as opposed to it being a volume-based [decision],” he said, pointing to the “petitioning” that went on in the lead-up to the consultation.
“I’m not against a lido. I’m trying to figure out, like, how we operate it. Or do we operate it? Do we let somebody else operate it? Do we just license somebody to use the space? So, that’s something that the development team are going through,” he said.
“Ultimately speaking, no matter what we do there … it goes to the elected members and they get the final decision.”
The consultation was launched in October last year to examine potential future uses for the vacant space, which was originally built in 1821 and forms part of the historic Custom House Docks.
In recent years, proposals for the site have ranged from a white water rafting facility to an events space, with campaigners long pushing for a publicly accessible swimming amenity.
The Dublin City Lido Campaign welcomed the findings of the public consultation last month, saying: “thousands of Dubliners have spoken – and they overwhelmingly want a public lido at George’s Dock”.
“This is a powerful expression of public will,” the group said, adding that respondents envisioned the dock as a space focused on health, wellbeing, inclusion and shared civic life.
Works to repair and restore the docks ahead of any change in use are set to begin in April and wrap up by July.
Speaking previously to the Irish Independent, Mr Shakespeare said any future developments on the site would need to be assessed carefully in light of the council’s finances.
“We’ve got to assess them in terms of viability,” he said. “The city council doesn’t have an endless pot of money.”