Funding shortfall threatens progress on new flagship library for Tipperary
A funding shortfall may halt the progress of a much-needed Tipperary amenity, a local council meeting has heard.
At the November meeting of the Clonmel Borough District, councillors were told that plans for a new library for Clonmel are progressing, but a shortfall of funding may delay the project.
The project is currently at stage two of a four step capital programme, with members from Tipperary County Council’s library and culture section saying that they are confident that they will receive stage two approval shortly.
"The Department [of Rural and Community Development] have come back to us with questions, but we’re able to answer those queries, so we hoping that we will have stage two approval through very shortly, which is a significant part of the project,” the meeting was told.
"This means we can go to Part 8, which we’re ready to do now, but we can’t until it’s stage two approved,” County Librarian Damien Dullaghan said.
Part 8 planning permission is when it is the local authority who is seeking permission to build.
The library will be built over three floors on a site next to the county council offices and Clonmel Swimming Pool.
The new library will be a flagship library for county Tipperary, and will replace the existing library building, which the November Clonmel Borough District meeting heard was a busy local amenity.
The existing Clonmel Library has over 100,000 visits a year, with Fianna Fáil councillor Siobhán Ambrose saying that the library is a “victim of its own success”.
"Clonmel Library is a victim of its own success, it’s the busiest library in the county, busiest membership, and it’s great when you go in there and see all ages using it,” Cllr Ambrose said.
However, Mr Dullaghan told councillors that funding for the project is the major issue.
"We want to do this project, but we have a funding gap at the minute,” he said.
"We received a €3million grant from the Department and we received that in mid-2024, that grant is very welcome, but it doesn’t cover the full cost of the project.”
"All we can do is be ready, so if we get the stage two approval ... we can be ready for any funding that comes,” Mr Dullaghan said.
"We’re a bit away from stage two to stage three, and that’s being straight about it, because of that funding gap, until we bridge that gap, we’re not in a position to go to tender,” Mr Dullaghan said.
Fine Gael councillor Tom Acheson said that he had spoken to Jack White, the assistant to Minister of State Jerry Buttimer, and there was hope that a funding source could be found.
"They’re really looking at a method to try and bridge the gap for funding, I would have thought that this would be very very difficult to achieve, after a meeting with Jerry Buttimer it looked like there was no way this €9million would be bridged,” Cllr Acheson said.
"The first glimmer of hope came this week, now that’s no guarantee, but they’re hoping that they might be able to bridge the gap in funding, I’d hate to give false hope, but there certainly is much more hope than there would have been,” he added.