*Photograph: John Mangan
AN APPLICATION to construct the Doolin visitor centre is to be lodged in the second quarter of this year.
A three-fold increase in passenger numbers has been recorded at Doolin port since the construction of a new pier in 2014.
Clare County Council are intent on submitting a planning application for the visitor centre to An Bord Pleánala at the end of 2022 with hopes high this will be approved by the second quarter of 2023. Detailed design and development of tender documents is to be completed by 2023 along with the appointment of a contractor which is subject to funding. Completion of construction and a handover of the site is targeted for 2024.
Tourism numbers are predicted to rise further post COVID-19 “hence the need to provide a suitable visitor services building at Doolin Pier,” Seán Lenihan of Clare County Council’s project management office outlined. A budget of €5m has been set aside, subject to review and detailed design, initial funding of €465,000 to progress the design has been secured under the RRDF.
As part of the project, ferry operator offices will be located under one roof along with ancillary services such as a café, shop and toilets. The Building will also provide accommodation for the Harbour Master and Clare County Council staff.
Additional car parking will be provided, improvements to the waiting area facilities at the Pier are also part of the works. Last year, a preliminary design was advanced, areas close to the existing Coastguard station have been deemed unsuitable further to ecological mapping with alternative options under consideration.
Staff in the West Clare Municipal District are currently reviewing a proposal to regularise the temporary car parking arrangement which was put in place to address the peak tourist season in 2021. “The upgrading of the temporary car-park could be the solution upon which a future application for the VSB development could be based,” Lenihan suggested. He said they are aspiring to build a “state of the art visitor centre on the pier”.
