Date set to start construction on new Greystones Coast Guard station
The Wicklow PeopleWicklow County Council has confirmed construction works on a new Coast Guard station in Greystones will get underway on November 6, after years of delay for a new premises.
Planning permission follows an application in early July, by the Commissioners of Public Works, for the continuation of current granted permission for a new building for the Irish Coast Guard for local emergency rescue which is subject to three conditions.
Plans for a new Greystones Coast Guard building – to the north of Greystones Sailing Club, at the marina – were signed off in November, 2018, and the project was later given planning permission by Wicklow County Council in 2020.
The formal transfer of the site from the local authority to the Office of Public Works (OPW) took place in September 2023, but previous proposals had ground to a halt after 12 years of discussions due to a lack of funds.
The Coast Guard unit is currently based in a building beside Greystones Garda Station. The hold-ups in developing the station have also delayed the refurbishment of that garda station, as the works are contingent on the Coast Guard relocating.
Plans for the facility include a single-storey boathouse and vehicle store with a flat roof, alongside a single-storey accommodation block with a mono-pitch roof.
The building will cover a combined floor area of 257 square metres, with a maximum roof height of 7.8 metres above the adjacent public space.
In the planner’s report, it was highlighted that “a new Coast Guard Station at Greystones Harbour would be a welcome addition that would increase safety for our seafaring community”.
It was also pointed out that a traffic management plan detailing “how members of the Coast Guard responding to an emergency call out will travel to the Coast Guard Station in their vehicles through the combined vehicle/ pedestrian areas of the harbour, as there can be a lot of pedestrians in this area, particularly during events such as the weekly Greystones Plaza Market which takes place every Sunday during the summer period.
“The applicant should consult with the harbourmaster for Greystones Harbour, the Greystones Municipal district engineer and the developer of the Harbour Sisk in relation to the preparation of the traffic management plan.”
Now that works are due to begin, it’s expected they will continue until the end of 2026.
During the construction phase access to some areas within the harbour will be restricted, with the slipway opposite the clubhouses closed for the duration of the works.
Access for emergency services will be maintained during the construction phase, and a clearway will be in operation from the boatyard to the road in front of the clubhouses.