> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.dublininquirer.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Years after whitewater rafting flop, council gives itself until 2030 to make new plan for George's Dock - URL: https://www.dublininquirer.com/years-after-whitewater-rafting-plan-flop-council-gives-itself-until-2030-to-make-new-plan-for-georges-dock/ - Published: 2026-09-24T23:55:49.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-25T00:33:44.000Z - Description: It'll fill it with water, and decorate it with lights this winter, a council manager said at a recent meeting. But it'll take years to come up with long-term vision. - Author: Laoise Neylon - Tags: City Desk Dublin City Council has given itself until 2030 to come up with a concrete plan for how to develop, long-term, an amenity at George’s Dock, according to a[ recent presentation to councillors.](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28682372-screenshot-2026-09-24-220350/?ref=dublininquirer.com) The council ran a public consultation in 2025, in which around 63 percent of more than 2,000 respondents said they wanted a swimming pool, with the remaining responses raising a myriad of other ideas. It also held a stakeholder engagement process this year. But there is still no clear plan for the dry dock, seven years after the council announced it wanted to build a white-water rafting facility, an idea that officials and councillors later abandoned amid public scepticism and at times ridicule. “We want to unlock the full potential of George’s Dock, we want to make it a public space; we want to make it vibrant, inclusive and future-ready, " said Marese Feeney, senior executive officer, in a presentation to councillors at a [meeting](https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=310&MId=5877&ref=dublininquirer.com) of the Central Area Committee on 15 September. But the council has not yet decided how to do that, Feeney said. In the short term, starting this winter, the council plans to animate the space, filling it with water, decorating it with "winter lights" and possibly running events, says the presentation. Procurement – that is, finding a builder to actually do the work, whatever it is – is part of the long-term strategy, happening in 2030 or after according to the timeline. “We’re just disappointed,” says Patrick Earls, founder of the Dublin Lido Campaign, which has been lobbying for a heated swimming pool on the site since 2020\. “When there is a clear interest, why does it have to take so long?” The campaign group took part in the stakeholder engagement, which was very thorough, he says. Before that there was an extensive public consultation process too, so he thought the next step would be seeking expressions of interest from companies to develop a pool, he said. “This is the tragedy of the council,” says Earls. It is not clear though, whether council managers are convinced the plan for a swimming pool is the way forward, and there is no funding set aside in the city's capital programme to develop George’s Dock. ## In the meantime This year and next, the council plans to animate George’s Dock with meanwhile uses, decorating it with winter lights, pumping in water and possibly running events there, says the timeline provided in a council presentation to the Central Area Committee. The medium-term plan, up to 2030, is to develop an idea for the long-term use of the space, run feasibility studies, prepare a business case, decide on a funding strategy and potentially find a partner to operate the facility. From 2030 onwards, the council will procure a builder to actually develop something on the site, the timeline says. "There is a lot of things to iron out before we really get to the final model," said Feeney. "But on the plus side it will be re-activated in the coming months and there will be water going back in and we will be looking to animate the site." Council projects often take longer than the envisaged timeline. Earls, of the Dublin Lido Campaign, says that the timeline sounds very disappointing. He is not convinced about the need to have short-term and medium-term phases, he says. “We are really asking them to start doing the hard work on the lido now,” says Earls. “So it could be delivered in five or ten years.” ## A strong consensus More than 2,000 people responded to a council-run consultation on what should happen at the (currently) dry dock. Of those, 70 percent favoured using the dock for recreation and 90 percent of those wanted a swimming pool, says the [council presentation. ](https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=310&MId=5877&ref=dublininquirer.com) In January, the council kicked off a series of stakeholder meetings. Around 100 people from 50 different organisations, including community groups, voluntary groups, youth groups, and public bodies, took part, said Feeney at the meeting. They agreed on the idea of a water-based amenity at George’s Dock that should be accessible, sustainable and inclusive, said the presentation. “There was strong consensus in relation to everyday public life, accessibility, flexibility, inclusion, water, green space, stewardship, quality, ambition,” said Feeney at the meeting. But there was some tension between whether the new amenity should primarily serve the local community or be a destination for others, she said. The presentation also notes tension between public value and commercial viability. That was a point of discussion last year, when Dublin City Council managers said they were keen to enlist a private company to build and manage the pool, [as is done in Helsinki](https://%20https//www.dublininquirer.com/council-to-launch-a-public-consultation-on-how-to-develop-georges-dock/]), but some councillors were afraid that could result in high costs, pricing some locals out of using the pool. The future core amenity or attraction at George’s Dock should provide recreational opportunities, complement other social, commercial and recreational amenities in the locality and work in all seasons, says the presentation. It should be environmentally sustainable and strengthen the connection with water in the area, and enhance the area overall. The stakeholder engagement process led to a report compiled in July 2026\. But that report was not presented to councillors at the meeting. Because the presentation was tacked on the end of the meeting, and councillors hadn’t seen the documents in advance, they agreed to a proposal by Social Democrats Councillor Cat O'Driscoll to defer further discussion to their next meeting in October. ## Not on board When Green Party Councillor Janet Horner asks the council CEO Richard Shakespeare about plans for George’s Dock, he says that there is no capital budget for it, she says. He points to other priority capital projects in the Central Area. Projects like the restoration of the Victorian Fruit and Veg Market in Smithfield, which is underway now, she says. “The CEO doesn’t seem to be convinced about the \[George's Dock\] project,” Horner says. But she thinks the council should decide on a clear plan to redevelop the dock: “You need a plan if you want to get the money.” Earls, of the Dublin Lido Campaign, says there is an opportunity to apply for grants for large-scale sports infrastructure projects. “The lido meets all the criteria.” “The project needs someone to champion it and push it forward,” he says. “I’m getting slightly frustrated,” said O’Driscoll, the Social Democrats councillor. Councillors agreed in 2023 that they want a water-based amenity at George’s Dock and have tabled multiple motions to try and push it forward since, she says. A recent proposal from a private company for a [shape-shifting digital giant statue](https://www.thejournal.ie/mixed-views-from-dublin-councillors-on-e29m-giant-statue-7024936-Apr2026/?ref=dublininquirer.com) at George’s Dock was not in line with councillors' vision for the area or with the zoning for a water-based feature, she says. Most people who weighed in on the public consultation said they want a heated swimming pool, said O’Driscoll, that is accessible to the public. Many local groups took part in the stakeholder engagement, she said, so “there is a local expectation that something is going to happen”. A public pool, heated for year-round swimming, would provide health benefits for local residents, she says. “The main thing for health and longevity is movement,” says O'Driscoll. “Swimming is a very accessible form of movement.” At the moment, the council's capital programme only lists funding for conservation works at George's Dock, which are underway, and for a feasibility study, she says. The [capital programme 2026 to 2028](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28682460-dublincitycouncil-capitalprogramme-2026-2028-web-1/?ref=dublininquirer.com) sets aside €650,000 expenditure on George's Dock this year and nothing in 2027 or 2028\. But the council could apply for sports infrastructure grants, and should do that while money is available in national pots, she says. In her view, the council should establish a council-owned limited company to run the pool, allowing affordable entry rates. Just as the Swan Leisure Centre in Rathmines runs at the moment, she says. “The council management are still not convinced that the most popular option is the right way to go,” says O’Driscoll.