Serious concerns about silting within Kinsale harbour, which could have huge consequences for the town's economy, have been raised with Cork County Council.
Commodore of Kinsale Yacht Club, Matthias Hellstern says that the current rate of silt build-up, especially around the pier head and parts of the marina, will make the marina unusable to keelboats.
He says boats are already going aground at low tide.
While the harbour belongs to Cork County Council, the marina itself belongs to the voluntary, non-profit Kinsale Yacht Club.
The club estimates that the 200 berth marina contributes over half a million euro to Kinsale town's economy annually.
Speaking to RedFM News, Commodore Matthias Hellstern the problem needs to be taken seriously and addressed:
"So it's certainly something that Cork County Council need to look at and take seriously because the harbour is so important to the town that it needs to be addressed and looked at, because it would be an awful shame if that area became unusable and part of our Marina was sitting empty because we can't use it. And it would seem that the silting issue has been accelerated over the past number of years. In some ways, the Covid restrictions have hidden the problem up to now".
