Flagship tourist facility planned for Hodson Bay

Roscommon County Council is pressing ahead with a hugely-ambitious plan to develop a major waterfront park in the Hodson Bay area of Athlone which would see it become one of Ireland's leading centres for water-based tourism.

The Hodson Bay Waterfront Park would see the construction of a continuous promenade along the length of the Hodson Bay shoreline, an extension of the Waterways Ireland marina to provide up to 50 new berths for cruisers and visiting craft and the creation of a new immersive water experience.

Also forming part of the plans is a detailed access, parking and transport strategy which is designed to enable a safe environment for non-motorised users and include a link to the proposed new Mid-Shannon Wilderness Park Greenway. In order to facilitate car users, this element of the plan would see the re-development of new car parking facilities at a number of locations in the area – a move which would necessitate the acquisition of lands.

Funding to take the proposed project through the design and environmental evaluation and statutory consent stages has been provided to Roscommon County Council and Waterways Ireland by Fáilte Ireland under the EU Just Transition Fund.

Plans for a major redevelopment of the tourism offering at Hodson Bay were devised by Roscommon County County on the back of a report it commissioned in 2023 which identified a number of key issues hampering the development of the area as a flagship tourism facility.

The report identified capacity issues at the Waterways Ireland marina; limited access to the area with an over-reliance on the private car park; poorly developed visitor experiences along the waterfront and a lack of supporting services such as accommodation, food and drink, with the exception of the existing hotel.

A consultant’s brief which was prepared by Roscommon County Council as it sought engineering and other specialist consultancy services to the project stated that the benefits of re-developing the marina at Hodson Bay are both “economic and social” and would include greater footfall for existing businesses in the area; additional employment and “a stronger presence” for Hodson Bay on the map as regards water-based facilities.

The brief also states that water, electricity and waste facilities, in addition to showers, toilets, washing machines, laundry facilities and wifi should be provided to establish Hodson Bay as “a major service facility for waterway users.”

The futuristic design strategy for the immersive water experience element of the Hodson Bay Waterfront Park includes the provision of two buildings within one structure, with the first housing the water sports facility and the second containing showers, toilets and a large cafe overlooking the water. The buildings are designed to sit on a platform raised above water level similar to the historic lake crannógs. “This gives the complex an illusion of floating above the water whilst allowing water ecology to thrive under it,” according to the eTenders brief.

Roscommon County Council is hoping to have the final project design and statutory consent application along with all associated reports and studies complete and ready for submission to An Bord Pleanála by February 2026.