A design team has been appointed to progress works on permanent welfare facilities for visitors to the Great Blasket Island.
An update on the Office of Public Works’ plans for the island were provided by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Patrick O’Donovan.
Minister O’Donovan also said an early draft of a major conservation plan for the island may be available early next year.
Following a parliamentary question from Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin, Minister O’Donovan outlined the prospects for permanent facilities on the island, the conservation plan, and a long-awaited pier.
He said the OPW reached an agreement with a local landowner to provide toilet facilities for visitors for the 2023 visiting season, after it was reported last year some visitors had defecated in the ruins of Peig Sayers' house because of a lack of toilets.
Minister O’Donovan added work on progressing permanent welfare facilities for visitors is also underway, and a design team was appointed for this in early August.
He said tenders were invited for a new Conservation Management Plan for the island in April, and a team was appointed to deliver this plan.
It will include a comprehensive inventory of the built and natural heritage of the island, and will consider heritage, archaeology, transport planning, marine biology, and environmental ecology.
He said it’s hoped an initial draft will be available in the first quarter of 2024.
As well as this, work on a long-awaited landing facility is also progressing, with consultants having begun work on ecological and planning issues associated with the potential pier.
