Following a long and protracted debate going back to 2007, the members of the Ballina Town Council decided to keep the jetty located at Bachelors Walk in the town. In 2007 Fianna Fáil Councillor Willie Nolan had a notice of motion supported to remove the jetty, however nothing had happened on it up to a number of months ago when the councillor raised the issue once again. At the March meeting of the local authority the elected members asked town engineer Michael O’Grady to complete a report on the jetty and to recommend either to remove or retain the jetty. In his report Mr O’Grady outlined that the jetty itself was in good condition, and that while some work would have to be done on the deck of the jetty it was in very good condition and had cost very little to maintain since it was constructed in 1983 at a cost of €28,000, with only €3,450 being spent on the decking in 2004. He also said regarding safety concerns around the jetty that by its nature it is a dangerous place as it is intended as an access point to the water. He went on to say that to upgrade the jetty would cost an initial estimate of €6,710 but, that was only an initial estimate. Other costs could be found when work was commenced on the removal, and an appropriate assessment would have to be carried out on it by the Parks and Wildlife department, and that cost had not been factored in. Mr O’Grady recommended the retention of the jetty by the council. Six of the eight members present favoured retaining the jetty, with Cllr Nolan and Independent councillor Gerry Ginty calling for its removal. Issues of anti social behaviour in the area had been cited as a reason for removing the jetty. Most of the councillors agreed however that it would be a bad day for the town if they had to remove a piece of infrastructure because of anti social behaviour and said that it was not the jetty which was causing the anti social behaviour.
Fianna Fáil councillor Frances McAndrew told the meeting: “Ballina is trying to sell itself as a tourist town, and we can use this jetty as a piece of tourist infrastructure to bring people to the area. There is a business to whom I was speaking who are very keen to use the jetty for tourist related activities.” Mayor Mary Kelly told the meeting: “We have to do anything we can to promote the river and as long as it’s made as safe as possible we should keep the jetty.”
