‘Resounding yes’ for prioritising accessibility for new Galway community centre after 20 years of campaigning
A community centre is meant to welcome all residents, but as Galway City councillors moved to approve one in Newcastle, questions emerged about how accessible it would actually be.
At the November council meeting, elected members approved the Newcastle Community Centre, describing it as a vital facility for the area.
In 2003, an association was created looking to develop a community centre in the area, and now 22 years later, the development will break ground.
Sinn Féin councillor Aisling Burke, who works with children with additional needs, urged officials to ensure the design caters for everyone. She highlighted the importance of features such as wheelchair-accessible picnic tables, appropriate ramping and safe footpaths.
With the centre proposed so close to St Joseph’s Special School, “if it’s right at their doorstep it would be lovely for them to be able to use it correctly,” Cllr Burke said.
Director of Services Derek Pender offered firm reassurance, responding with what he described as a “resounding yes” that the entire site will be accessible and welcoming to all members of the community.
The design phase has already been completed, with the planners’ report expected to be published shortly. The centre will include sports and general-purpose halls, meeting rooms, an AstroTurf pitch and a play yard beside the Croí building off Moyola Park Road.
The centre will sit in between multiple housing estates which hold over 4,000 residents.
During the consultation process, no public submissions were lodged, a silence councillors interpreted as tacit approval of the project’s necessity.
There was broad praise across the chamber for the development finally moving forward. Fine Gael councillor Eddie Hoare thanked the executive for advancing the project, saying it would make the centre “more inclusive and more accessible for larger parts of the community.”
You can find more information and renderings on the project here.