The Cleary Centre building will be demolished to make way for a purpose-built day centre for adults with intellectual disabilities
Planning permission has been granted for a new, state of the art facility to replace the Cleary Centre building in Donegal Town.
This follows a decade-long campaign to provide such a facility for the adult service users, and to keep them together as a group following the building being declared unfit for purpose.
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The planning application is for “demolition of the existing derelict property to construct a new single storey day services centre for adults with disabilities, with ancillary private open space, car parking and all associated landscaping works, site works and service installations.”
It was granted subject to a number of conditions relating to the construction process, materials, flood mitigation, and minimal disruption.
Among those to support the campaign for a new facility was Cllr Noel Jordan and his Sinn Féin party colleague, Pearse Doherty TD.
Cllr Jordan told Donegal Live: “I would like to welcome the news of planning permission being granted for the new Cleary Centre.
“It is down to years of hard work by the Parents and Friends Association. I shouldn’t single out people but I think Mary Gorman and Kathleen McLoone would be two people who really pushed this for a long, long time.
“And of course the parents of the service users.
“It shows that people power really does pay off.
“We were glad to support this down through the years. It is great news to get planning for the site.
“The design is done. It is now about providing the funding and getting the site open and getting it to the construction stage. I would urge the incoming government to press on with that without delay.
“The service users have waited a long time for this. It is well deserved and I would again like to commend that group.”
The former primary school building is situated at Drumlonagher, Donegal Town. It was used as a centre for adults with intellectual disabilities for many years before being deemed unfit for purpose in 2014.
In 2015, families were informed that service users would be allocated places in a number of other centres further afield, to which they would be taken by bus.
This was absolutely devastating for the close knit community of service users, and thus began the campaign to keep the Cleary group together. From a rally in Donegal Town to a protest at Dáil Eireann, and much support from public representatives and the wider community, the service users in their families were relentless in their quest.
Good news came at the start of 2016 when it was announced that the group would move to a temporary facility in the old Victor factory building near Abbott’s. This was supposed to be a short-term move, with the new facility due to be ready for use within five years.
But as one year rolled into the next without any allocation of capital funding, alarm bells began to ring, and the frustration deepened.
Finally, towards the end of 2019 it was announced that the new facility on the site of the old Cleary Centre would be included in the HSE’s 2020 Capital Plan. Given the timing - with a general election looming - this announcement was welcomed with a hefty degree of cynicism.
Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time the HSE-owned Cleary Centre building was used as a test centre
It would be April 2021 before a capital budget of €2.4m was finally approved, to include design, construction, equipment and all associated costs.
Next came the design stage, with a team established to include a nominee from the South Donegal Parents and Friends Group, the manager of the Cleary Centre, the HSE Estates Project Officer and a Disability Services Manager.
Planning permission was lodged in October 2024, and there is much relief that it has been granted.
According to the HSE, the centre for adults with intellectual disabilities will include a range of indoor and outdoor therapeutic spaces, such as four large multipurpose rooms each with their own designated secure outdoor area. There will be therapy spaces including physio room, regulation room, training kitchen and laundry, in addition to a large dining space and staff facilities.
A covered outdoor area for activities is included in the development along with outdoor recreational spaces for the service users including a greenhouse.
Edel Quinn, HSE Head of Service for Disabilities, Community Services Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo said: “We are delighted to be at this stage of the development of our new Cleary day services centre for adults with intellectual disabilities.
“We look forward to continuing to liaise with the people who use the service and their families at each stage of this process and to continue on this journey together to bring this project to fruition.”
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