It has been a long wait for locals and visitors of Dun Laoghaire, but the news they have all been hoping for has finally arrived. After three years of extensive restoration work, the outdoor spaces at Dun Laoghaire Baths are set to reopen on December 13th.
In 2015 plans were unveiled to develop the site with public space and a walkway but without baths. This plan was eventually abandoned due to an alternative proposal for an urban beach complete with heated barge pool but this too was unsuccessful. In 2017 Save Our Seafront welcomed redevelopment plans but ‘regretted’ that there would be no swimming baths included despite requests from locals.
Fortunately a contract between council and two joint builders Siac and Mantovani was signed in April 2018 to redevelop both the baths area and public spaces with an estimated cost of €10 million while taking under two years – opening Spring 2020.
Unfortunately however delays occurred when over one million plastic shards washed into Dublin Bay during construction coupled with Covid-19 pandemic restrictions creating further delays until it is finally ready for its grand reopening next week!
Progress has been visible throughout 2021 including installation of a 3m bronze sculpture of Roger Casement overlooking his birthplace on top of a plinth at end of jetty September 2021; although final costs ended up being more than initially expected – €18 million compared to original budget estimate €13.4 million which doesn't seem so bad considering all works involved!
We took advantage of the sun this morning to take a quick photo of the newly renovated Dún Laoghaire Baths.
— HeyDublin ☘️ (@hey_dublin) November 17, 2022
📷 HeyDublin#dunlaoghairebaths #dunlaoghaire #dúnlaoghaire @dunlaoghairetown @DLRTourism pic.twitter.com/jYd5lyDw0Q
