Houseboat Residents Fear They Will Become Homeless If Permit Hikes Are Passed

Thursday, 5 October 2023 13:47

Residents in Sallins could face an 800% fee increase

People living on boats in Kildare fear they will become homeless if the latest permit hikes are passed.

Worried residents living in Sallins and other parts of the county face fee increases from €278 to €2,500 annually - an 800% jump.

While those in Grand Canal Dock in Dublin would see their yearly payments go from €578 up to €4,000 initially before rising to €7,500 in six years' time.

Ger Loughlin is a former houseboat resident and Operator of bargetrip.ie in Sallins and he spoke to this morning's Kildare Today show.

In a statement to The Irish Mirror, Waterways Ireland said: "The proposed revisions are the first since 1986 for the canals and 1994 for the Shannon. They include the introduction of new serviced and unserviced canal permits for houseboat communities; additional houseboat mooring zones; in-water inspections and insurance for boats; the introduction of an annual registration process, abolition of lock passage fees; the requirement for life-jackets on the water and safety equipment on boats; speed limits for bicycles and scooters on the Greenways and Blueways; certification of vessels being used for commercial purposes, and designated zones for tents and caravans. The revisions also include measures to protect the environment."

Speaking to the same newspaper, Rory Hearne from Maynooth University said "It's ridiculous that Waterways Ireland could be potentially making people homeless.

"For some people, they’ve chosen it as a lifestyle and for others, it’s a cheaper form of housing … and significantly increasing what they have to pay in a short space of time seems ludicrous at a time when emergency accommodations are literally full.

"There is nowhere for people to go. So Waterways Ireland are effectively evicting these people into homelessness. These are people’s homes." he concluded.