Dublin City Council has written to elected members to complain about the reaction that their plans to build a whitewater rafting facility on George's Dock.
The issue, according to the letter, "has sparked further commentary in the media, some of which has been especially hostile."
The facility could cost as much as €25 million to build and has been mired in controversy since its approval by Dublin City Council in 2019.
Most notably, Senator and former Tanaiste Michael McDowell branded the whole scheme a "vanity project" and suggested that the money might be better spent on housing.
"I think Dublin City Council has lost its way completely - one of its primary functions is to address the housing crisis," he said to Newstalk radio yesterday.
"Under the Housing Act, as a housing authority, it has a direct responsibility to provide homes, social housing and to make available and to re-organise the planning of the city so there is actual housing available."
"Instead of that, they are engaging in a tendering process for a project... which is peripheral to their function, and suggests that the management of Dublin City Council aren't concentrating on the day job and are pursuing their own personal [interests]."
"This is a project which is vanity-driven and at the peculiar interest of some people in the executive of Dublin City Council."
In defence of the project, council rep Derek Kelly said that the Council would attempt "to get a more realistic cost estimate" and "no additional Council funding can be allocated to the project and no additional borrowing undertaken without the approval of [Councillors]."
He added that a whitewater rafting facility would be useful for Dublin Fire Brigade and other emergency services, as well as having tourism potential
"It is essential, given the increase in severe weather flooding events that Local Authority and other emergency services staff can train for these events in controlled conditions with no water quality issues," said Kelly.
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