Featured image: Kennedy FitzGerald Architects design of Buncrana Leisure Centre
The new Buncrana Leisure Centre remains on a reserve list for Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Funding, it has been confirmed.
Donegal County Council is engaging with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media after the initial funding application for €11.7 million was turned down.
The council has been told that as additional LSSIF funding becomes available projects on the reserve list “should then be able to be funded”.
This week’s meeting of Donegal County Council heard the council reaffirm its commitment to seeing the project delivered.
Mr Michael McGarvey, Director Of Services, said that staff were also disappointed when the project failed to make the list of approved applications on the 4th of November.
The Letterkenny Regional Sports and Activity Hub was granted €8.7 million as part of an overall package of €173 million for 35 major sports projects across Ireland.
Mr McGarvey told councillors that the Buncrana project remains a live application on the reserve list.
“Obviously we are competing with others,” he said, stressing that no timeline has been given for further announcements.
“We are continuing with this application constructively with the department,” Mr McGarvey said.
“We reaffirm Donegal County Council’s commitment to this project and we will do everything we can to get funding through this.”
Donegal County Council is also explore other funding opportunities such as Shared Island and Re-Power Buncrana under the RRDF Programme.
Mr McGarvey said the council was also in contact last week with another potential partner agency in Northern Ireland for a potential application under PEACEPLUS.
So far, more than €68,000 has been spent on the preliminary design of the leisure centre.
The new leisure centre project at Aileach Road is estimated at €16 million, with €11 million sought from the government and the remainder to be provided by Donegal County Council.
The new centre is shovel-ready, with full planning permission granted.
Sinn Féin Councillor Jack Murray, who raised a motion on the issue at Monday’s meeting, said that the council’s commitment is clear.
“I’m hoping that we can make the case to secure this funding,” Cllr Murray said.
“We are told the country is awash with money, but it seems to go to clubs like Dalkey, Dalymount Park and Cavan Monaghan, with the same population as us, got €20million. I don’t think we should take this lying down, it’s deeply unfair.”
