Maritime Consents
What is this licence?
The foreshore of Ireland is classed as the land and seabed between the high water of ordinary or medium tides (shown HWM on Ordnance Survey maps) and the twelve-mile limit (12 nautical miles equals approximately 22.24 kilometers). Foreshore also covers tidal areas of rivers particularly estuaries.
Leases
A lease is generally issued for a development that requires exclusive occupation of the foreshore. Developments requiring a lease would include: jetties, bridges, piers, marinas, offshore windfarms and reclamation of any foreshore.
Licences
A licence is generally issued for a development that does not require exclusive occupation of the foreshore. Examples would include repair work, some coastal protection work, undersea pipelines, cables, site investigation works, dredging works and harvesting of wild seaweed.
How to apply
Application forms and guidance are available on the website of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority.
A standard lease or licence will be drawn up. The majority of the conditions will be standard. The individual lease or licence will reflect the project and site-specific conditions.