‘When will the Government fund our new Leisure Centre?’ – Mac Lochlainn

Responding to the announcement of a grant of €2 million towards the cost of drawing up designs for the new Buncrana Swimming Pool, TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has asked when the Government will fully fund the new leisure centre.

“We need answers for the people of Inishowen,” the Buncrana-based TD said. “Edenderry Swimming Pool Ltd, backed by Offaly County Council, were awarded €9 million last year while our funding for Buncrana Leisure Centre was turned down. They had no site, no planning permission and no detailed designs.

“The people of Buncrana and Inishowen, backed by Donegal County Council, had all of this in place.”

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Last November, Donegal County Council failed in its application under the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund for €17 million to demolish and rebuild a new swimming pool on the site of the Buncrana Leisure Centre. The local authority listed the Letterkenny Regional Sports Activity Hub at the ATU as the number one priority for funding in the county while Swim Ireland, the national sports governing body for swimming, ranked Buncrana number three of three, behind swimming pools in Mullingar and Edenderry.

“I have asked the Minister for Sport again and again this year when will the Government fund our new Leisure Centre,” Deputy Mac Lochlainn continued.

“Today they have announced €2 million for ‘detailed designs’. Why have they not allocated the full amount of money that we have asked for? Why are more detailed designs needed for us when they didn’t even have a site in Offaly?”
The Sinn Féin TD concluded by asking: “When will our long delayed project go to tender?
“When will construction start on our new Leisure Centre for Inishowen?
“And when will our young children learn to swim again in our newly built pool and centre?”