Wicklow County Council is interested in acquiring the former Arklow Pottery site on South Quay, it has been confirmed.
he issue came up during a discussion of the proposals for the regeneration of the Arklow Harbour at the October meeting of the municipal district.
Christine Flood, senior executive officer at Wicklow County Council, told the meeting that the local authority is seeking funding to develop a masterplan for Arklow Harbour and to acquire land in the area.
Councillor Sylvester Bourke (FG) said he was “puzzled” by this statement, as Wicklow County Council did not tend to say if they EW interested in a particular site. He asked if a deal had been done to acquire the former Arklow Pottery site.
Ms Flood said no agreement had been reached, but the local authority is interested in acquiring property in Arklow. The Pottery site is of “strategic interest”, however, there are other parties interested in acquiring the land as well. The property is on the open market and the council had not made a bid at this stage.
Marc Devereux, senior executive engineer at Wicklow County Council, said the aim of the masterplan was to encourage the development of both jobs and homes in the area. While the council does not want to acquire all the land, the masterplan would create the framework of the regeneration of the area by public and private bodies.
Cllr Pat Fitzgerald (FF) said it was “urgent” and “important” for the local authority to acquire the Arklow Pottery site. If the council did not buy the site, then the masterplan would allow it to set the parameters of development at the harbour.
Cllr Pat Kennedy (FF) said “the future of Arklow could hinge” on the council acquiring the site. He argued that the potential of the Avoca River had not be realised in terms of leisure and commercial activities. Cllr Kennedy suggested there was a “lack of vision” in the focus on Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) funding. Instead, the council should look for strategic partners among the large businesses investing significant amounts of money in Arklow.
“These conversations need to happen. You might find you are knocking on an open door,” he added.
Mr Devereux suggested the harbour could become a hub for the offshore wind and other maritime industries, and the council hoped to develop a national centre of excellence for training in these areas. This would then provide opportunities for tourism and new businesses
The discussion also considered the status of the pottery museum.
Cllr Tommy Annesley (FF) said there is a feeling in town that the museum has been “put on the back burner” due to the scale of the potential development at the harbour.
Ms Flood said the local authority had obtained funding for the design of the museum, however, this scheme would not allocate a grant for capital works. The estimated cost of construction is €1 million. An application had been made to a Failte Ireland scheme in 2019, but it was not selected for funding. A decision was then made to include the museum as part of a proposal to regenerate the harbour, which was submitted to the Department of Rural and Community Development’s URDF, but was not funded.
Ms Flood told councillors that a grant could be sought from LEADER, however, this would be for a maximum amount of €250,000 and it may be challenging to raise the remaining balance. The local authority is required to provide match funding of 25 per cent under the URDF. Ms Flood acknowledged that the situation is “not ideal” however including the museum as part of a larger project is “the only show in town for now”.
Cll Peir Leonard (Ind) said she did not feel a museum was the “right option”, and suggested a pottery might be a better fit. She also highlighted that a small museum might not have the space to display the objects already collected. She suggested a pottery tourist attraction could be considered alongside a virtual catalogue of Arklow Pottery.
Ms Flood said small grants could be sought to develop an online catalogue. The pottery museum had been conceived as a multifaceted building with creative, workshop and performance spaces. The museum could become a “catalyst for art in the area” by providing an interactive space.
Cllr Murphy asked if a working group was needed to drive the museum forward. Donations for the museum were being collected, but there were fears in the community that the project could become a “white elephant”.
Ms Flood said a committee could be formed and a temporary premises sought to host an exhibition of the Arklow Pottery Collection. She pointed out that the proposed regeneration of harbour was a long-term project. She outlined the opportunities for development at Arklow Harbour and its long history. The local authority believed the area is “underutilised” and could provide a mix of residential and employment opportunities. It was felt that around 500 homes could be developed in the area and at least 1,200 jobs.
Mr Devereux said the aim of the masterplan is to encourage the development of both jobs and homes in the area. While the council does not want to acquire all land, a plan would create the framework of the regeneration of the area. He suggested the harbour could become a hub for the offshore wind and other maritime industries, and the council hoped to develop a national centre of excellence for training in these areas. This would then provide spin-off opportunities for tourism and new businesses.
He noted that the development of the Arklow wastewater treatment plant and the new headquarters for Arklow Shipping had started on the North Quay. However, there is space at the South Quay to create connections between the area, the town centre and South Beach. He suggested this area could provide an alternative site for a pottery museum or an interpretative centre, however, no decisions had been made yet. Mr Devereux pointed to some of the advantages Arklow has, including the decision of SSE Renewables to locate the onshore maintenance hub for the expanded wind farm on a site at South Quay and its proximity to infrastructure for the national grid.
A decision had been made that Wicklow would not compete for the work to assemble the wind turbines against more established facilities. Instead, the county would concentrate on the maintenance and upkeep of the turbines during their lifetime. Mr Devereux argued that Arklow Harbour is ideally suited for projects of this kind.
Mr Devereux confirmed that the local authority had started to prepare an application for the next round of URDF, which was expected to open shortly.
Cllr Miriam Murphy (Ind) said it was great to see the harbour’s potential was being explored, after many years of being ignored. She said each new project in the town would support others and lead to new opportunities. She urged the council to communicate with local councillors and use local knowledge.
Cllr Leonard suggested that more sheltered water space to dock vessels is required at the harbour. While new buildings would be welcome, she argued water space would be a “big asset” for the town and for the different users of the harbour both now and in the future. She argued that the limited water space would impact Arklow’s ability to compete in maritime tourism, surveying and other industries.
Ms Flood said this issue could be incorporated into the plan along with recommendations to ensure the marina is safe for all users. She noted that the council is the owner and operator of Arklow Harbour.
Cllr Leonard said the creation of more water space should be prioritised.
Mr Devereux noted that a mix of buildings and other facilities would be considered as part of the harbour masterplan. The project is at an early stage, and no firm decisions had been made.
Cllr Fitzgerald said more housing would be welcome, but suggested that 500 homes were not needed in that area of the town.
Cllr Bourke said the proposals showed “great vision” for that part of the town, highlighting the opportunities it might provide.
Cllr Annesley said more detail was needed about the proposal, which would spark massive development in the harbour area. He then asked why the Department had not backed the previous URDF applications for Arklow and Wicklow town.
Ms Flood said the local authority had met with department officials and the assessors of the URDF applications. They had provided some feedback and noted that an application for Bray had been successful because less funding had been sought for this project. The department had been satisfied with the Arklow and Wicklow applications. Ms Flood suggested uncertainty around the legislation for offshore energy and the development of the new maritime regulatory agency could have had an influence on the decisions. The council had no preferences for either scheme and had hoped they would all be funded. Ms Flood pointed out that the county had been very successful under the first round of the URDF. Responding to a question from Cllr Kennedy, she said the council had looked for international examples of similar schemes to use as references.
In response to a query from Cllr Leonard, Mr Devereux said the fishermen’s huts would be part of the plan, but the council was waiting for more information about funding for the project. He highlighted that fishing would remain a key priority at the harbour.
Cllr Bourke noted he had been contacted by an aquaculture business hoping to set up in Arklow which could provide up to 70 jobs. They were now considering other locations in the west of the country. He asked the council to speak with this business.
Mr Devereux said the council has no preferences about businesses to locate in the area.
