THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: Plan for new pier at Moville deferred by Harbour Commissioners

A letter from the Irish Fishery Commissioners was read during a meeting of the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners. The letter was relating to a recent meeting which had been held concerning a grant which had been requested in connection to the construction of a pier at Moville.

The letter read: “I am directed by the Piers and Harbours Commissioners to state after the inquiry they requested the Board of Public Works to direct their engineer to have the site surveyed and a plan and estimate for the works deemed necessary in this case drawn up. The estimated cost of the works is £7,500. I enclose a tracing of the plan, and I am to request that you will be so good as to lay it before the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners and to forward to this office any observations they may wish to make regard to it.”

Mr John Cooke, JP, of Waterloo Place in the city, pointed out to the commissioners that “a sum of £1,876, or one-fourth of the cost” would have to be subscribed locally and that the harbour commissioners had to be prepared to “contribute liberally” to enable the people Moville to have their new pier.

After much discussion in the end the board of the harbour commissioners deferred the consideration of the pier plan.