Kildare GAA announce plans for the redevelopment of St Conleth's Park in Newbridge

Plans have been put forward by the Kildare County Board to a large gathering of club chairmen, secretaries and delegates in regards to the potential redevelopment of the county grounds in Newbridge. There are three phases outlined for the process, with the first one focusing around the upgrading of the clubhouse facilities. The small changing rooms have long been a problem at St Conleth's Park, and with squad sizes and the numbers involved in management teams at club and intercounty level increasing all the time, the dressing rooms have become too small to cater for teams. Phase two of the plan will be to upgrade the playing area by expanding the size of the pitch, which will likely see the removal of the existing boundary walls and railings. Phase three of the plan is the most significant, with a 2,700 seater stand in the pipeline. This would be facilitated by the demolition of the old stand, while there would also be the possibility of adding an additional 1,000 seats if funding is available. The erection of floodlights around the ground was also an issue that was discussed, while the problems that may arise in regards to planning permission for floodlights was also on the agenda. The proposed new clubhouse at St Conleth's Park. The three phases of the plan are as follows: Phase One: Focus on player welfare with priority on changing and showering facilities by upgrading and extending existing club house building Phase Two: Upgrade existing playing area - increase pitch size and improve boundary enclosures. Phase Three: Construction of a circa 2,700 seater rear entry stand including the demolition of the existing stand with a possibility of constructing an additional circa 1,000 seats if funding is available.   County Chairman, Mr. Ger Donnelly, told the meeting that Kildare GAA hope to be in a position to deliver phase one of the development by the end of 2017, subject to planning and funding, and he also stated that he was confident that funding would be available from a variety of sources including the Leinster Council. Noting this, approval was granted for the board to proceed with the first phase of the works and an application will be made to the Planning Authority in October. Approval was also given to seek planning permission for the pitch improvement works and stand development. Mr. Donnelly also stated that he would now establish a committee dedicated to examine the various funding streams and options that will be required to finance Phase three, in particular.