No plans for swimming pool in Ratoath district in Meath, councillors told
There are currently no plans for a swimming pool in the Ratoath Municipal District, councillors have been told.
At the March meeting of the MD, Sinn Féin councillor Fionnan Blake called on Meath County Council to fund and deliver a public swimming pool for the area, saying the lack of leisure facilities has been raised with him on several occasions.
In a response, the local authority said the swimming pool project is not included in its Capital Investment Plan and therefore will not be assessed within the next 12 months.
Cllr Blake said there are a limited number of pools available across County Meath, noting that there are eight in total when hotel and gym facilities are included, but only three local authority pools — located in Kells, Navan and Trim.
A recent report by Swim Ireland found that Ireland has just one public pool per 81,000 people, compared with one per 14,000 in Scotland.
“Both Kells and Navan pools are decades old. About 20 years ago we thought we were getting a local authority pool in this area, only for the funding to disappear to Trim,” Cllr Blake said.
“The Ratoath MD has the fastest-growing population and has been underfunded for years. A lot of people in this area feel let down by the lack of facilities here.”
The councillor said the lack of facilities means schools in the area are often forced to travel outside the county for swimming lessons, with pupils brought to pools in Coolmine and Blanchardstown.
“Swimming is a life skill and also a life-saving skill,” he said.
“There are waiting lists for lessons, with schools in this area having to bring children to Coolmine and Blanchardstown to swim. Hotel and gym pools don’t have the same accessibility.”
“People with disabilities are really suffering from the lack of accessibility too. Swimming is a fantastic outlet for people with disabilities, who have to travel to use facilities.”
Cllr Blake suggested that a potential location for a new pool could be at the community centre in Dunshaughlin. The site is located beside Dunshaughlin Community College.
“The people in the Ratoath Municipal District are tired of not having facilities in place,” he added.