Waterways Ireland is currently undertaking a procurement process to attain advice on potential redevelopment of City Block 19, for the public good, to maximise benefits to local communities and to visitors. This exercise will be carried out with respect to Strategic Development Zone directives, planning regulations and the conservation status of heritage assets including Grand Canal Dock basin’s Quay Walls, Sea Lock Gates, Graving Docks etc.
Following this exercise, a number of rounds of approval, by Waterways Ireland and Waterways Ireland’s Sponsor Departments, would be required before any redevelopment of City Block 19 occurs.
Waterways Ireland continues to collaborate with local stakeholders regarding proposals at Grand Canal Dock, including the feasibility of restoring a graving dock for boat repair.
A group of three Sea Locks connect Grand Canal Dock to the River Liffey and onwards to the Irish Sea. The largest, Camden Lock, has not been operational for over twenty years. Waterways Ireland is undertaking an ambitious restoration project to restore Camden Lock to its former glory, re-opening Grand Canal Dock to Tall Ships and other larger and sea-faring craft, while maintaining, preserving, and protecting a unique heritage asset, further contributing to the regeneration of what was the world’s largest dock when it opened in 1796.
More information on the storied history and heritage of the Grand Canal Dock can be found in the “Waterways Through Time” podcast series, available here. In episode 6 of series 4 “Grand Canal Docks and Boland Mills”, historian Turtle Bunbury tells the story of the evolution of the Grand Canal Docks from the pageantry of its opening in 1796 to its present renaissance.