Preparatory work for long-awaited dredging projects in Cé Heilbhic and Dungarvan Bay is set to get underway after Waterford City and County Council approved €250,000 in capital funding.

The funding will allow the council to begin the surveys, environmental assessments, licensing and other preparatory work required before dredging can take place at a number of priority locations, including Cé Heilbhic, Dungarvan Harbour and Ballinacourty.

The approval marks a significant step forward for projects that have been sought for years by local fishing communities, the RNLI and harbour users, who have highlighted the need for dredging to improve access and safety.

Waterford Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness, who has been working with the council and the Minister in recent months to identify a funding mechanism for the project, welcomed the decision. He said the allocation would allow the necessary preparatory work to begin but stressed that securing funding for the dredging works themselves would now be the next priority.

McGuinness said he intends to continue pressing the Government, both in the Dáil and in his role as Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, to ensure the dredging projects are fully funded once the planning and environmental stages have been completed.

Speaking following the council’s decision, Sinn Féin councillor Kate O’Mahony also welcomed the allocation, describing it as a positive development for local fishing families and coastal communities who have been waiting for progress on the projects.

While the €250,000 allocation will not fund the dredging works themselves, it enables the council to complete the technical and environmental requirements needed before the projects can proceed.

It is hoped the preparatory work will pave the way for future Government investment to deliver dredging at Cé Heilbhic, Dungarvan Harbour, Ballinacourty and other priority locations around Dungarvan Bay.