Wexford residents have criticised Wexford County Council’s decision to close off access to the historic US Naval slipway at Ferrybank. It launched seaplanes during World War One and had long served as an access point to the River Slaney.
Today, a spokesperson for the council told Wexford Hub that the council walled off the slipway because the entrance gap was causing flooding on the nearby R741 regional road:
There were complaints from local residents that the gap was causing flooding on the R741 and at the entrance of the estate opposite.
They also pointed out that usage of it was creating a traffic hazard:
The R741 is one of the busiest regional roads in the county. There is no parking or facilities at the old slip and it is a real traffic hazard to have cars and trucks with trailers trying to back in boats at this point. The annual cost for access to the new slip is €100 which also gives you access to the slip in Kilmore Quay.
Locals have accused the council of closing the slipway to force people into paying for the new slipway. Local resident Jacqueline Robinson argued that the local authority had cordoned it off “because they want people to pay to use the new boat slip.”
Wexford historian Jack O’Leary was also highly critical of the decision. In a Facebook post, he criticised what he referred to as the “dictatorial council employees who appear to be answerable to no one.”
He wrote in the same post: “It’s another disgrace. The Maritime County yet again destroying more of our maritime history. We need an organisation to defend our county from the depredations of the local authorities who appear to have little interest in preserving any of our heritage.”