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The breakwater pier at Warrenpoint will not be shutting down to the public despite a deadline for a new licence agreement ending on Tuesday.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Warrenpoint Harbour Authority have been at loggerheads for two years over an estimated £350k repair bill.
However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service can now confirm the Warrenpoint breakwater pier will remain open as the two authorities continue to engage in talks.
A Warrenpoint Harbour Authority spokesperson said: “Warrenpoint Harbour Authority is constructively engaging with the council on this issue.
“We will continue to provide the council with the use of breakwater pier for the public realm, whilst longer term arrangements are progressed.”
Warrenpoint Harbour Authority confirmed the council’s current licence arrangement was due to expire yesterday Tuesday March 31.
The LDRS contacted the council for comment.
The public pier has been accessible for almost 50 years and attracts a large economic footfall into the seaside town.
Corrosion and holes within a steel wall around the pier requires significant repairs with the pier acting as a defence wall to the rest of the harbour.
The LDRS has seen documents showing the ongoing wrangle between the council and Warrenpoint Harbour Authority, which could have potentially led to locked gates being put up at the pier due to public insurance concerns at the end of the licence agreement.
It can be revealed that the council’s recommendation is to renew the licence for the breakwater, but only if WHA agrees to carry out the repairs to the pier.
The LDRS understands that Warrenpoint Harbour Authority’s position is that the council is responsible for repairs to the pier under the licence agreement.
The cost of repairs to the breakwater pier is estimated by one authority to be £350,000.
The pier on the shores of Carlingford Lough presents a unique mooring point as the first sea access point to Northern Ireland from the south with nearby WHA the second largest port in NI.
