‘There is demand for a pool in North Kildare’

A Labour Party councillor has told Kildare County Council (KCC) that there is demand for a swimming pool in North Kildare.

Cllr Angela Feeney made the comments at the latest Clane-Maynooth Municipal District meeting, which was held on Friday, June 2.

She asked KCC the following question: "Can the council provide an update on the current status of the swimming pool in Maynooth?"

A similar question was put forward by Fianna Fáil Cllr Naoise Ó Cearúil.

KCC explained that, in April 2019, it applied to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in respect of an application from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) to provide for a swimming pool in North Kildare (at Maynooth University).

KCC further explained: "The application was not successful, and an appeal was submitted in respect of the decision in February 2020.

"The council is still awaiting a decision on the appeal and remain committed to this project, and has followed up a number of times with the Department.

"Following a call with the Department in December 2022, is that all appeals have been assessed and official communication of the result will be issued shortly, once it has been approved by the Minister.

Labour Party councillor Angela Feeney. File pic.

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"Kildare County Council was advised at the meeting that there is currently no suitable alternative Grant Schemes available to progress the project."

The council added that while there has been 'no significant change' since the meeting on December 7 last, Ministers Thomas Byrne and Catherine Martin recently wrote to Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, to seek additional resources for the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) and raising the possibility of reopening the scheme.

"It is expected that the National Swimming Strategy, which will also have implications for the swimming pool provision policy, will be published over the summer," KCC concluded.

Cllr Feeney said that she welcomed the update, and added that a recent pop-up pool which was set up in Leixlip was a huge success, and showed that 'there is demand for a pool in North Kildare.'

However, Cllr Ó Cearúil was critical over the amount of time that has passed since the most recent update and the 2020 appeal.

Cllr Ó Cearúil added: "It is a very vague response, and it’s not fair on the people of North Kildare, to be brutally honest."

Social Democrats Cllr Aidan Farrelly echoed Cllr Ó Cearúil’s sentiments, and asked: "If the scheme does open, how can KCC expect to be successful, with this lack of feedback?"

In response, a representative of KCC told Cllr Farrelly that the council has sent 'a number of communications' in relation to the issue, but added that councillors ‘should feel free to put on the pressure’ for the new pool.