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Dublin

29th Mar 2018

VIDEO: Protests Begin As First Person Swims In Clontarf Baths Since Redevelopment

Darragh Berry

We’re all very jealous of Newstalk Presenter and Broadcaster Bobby Kerr who was the first person to have a dip in the Clontarf Baths since their redevelopment.

We’re not talking about dipping the toe either, we mean full on, head first, all-in sort of job. Sure, it’s the only way to do it. 

The baths opened at the start of February after a €2.2m refurbishment but excited potential users were shocked to hear that although you could order a whole host of food at the baths – including coddle pizzas, whole chickens and seaweed cocktails – you weren’t actually allowed swim. 

Even more bad news about the baths came two weeks ago when it was said that their failure to open the outdoor seawater pool upon relaunch meant that they could be breaking the conditions of their planning permission. 

They opened a 250-seat restaurant and bar at the Clontarf seafront but failure to open the baths meant Dublin City Council began investigating whether terms of planning permission could have been broken.

It’s unknown whether Bobby will be the only member of the general public to use the baths for the foreseeable future but according to 98FM, a protest is currently being held at the site to highlight the facilities failure to open them to the public. 

Donna Cooney – a Green Party representative for the area said that: 

“The original planning permission said that the Clontarf Baths should be open to the public. When we saw the conditions that An Bord Pleanala put out in 2012 we were delighted that we would have the baths back. We were expecting the baths would be open on day 1, and all we saw was a giant rubber duck.”

Watch this space.

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