Council error sunk west Wicklow pool campaign’s government funding bid
The Wicklow PeopleFailing to submit key documentation has been revealed as one of the main reasons why an application for government funding to build a new swimming pool in west Wicklow was refused.
Wicklow County Council were informed late last year their application for a long-awaited swimming pool and multi-use sports facility in Blessington was rejected.
It had been hoped the new amenity would serve the wider west Wicklow region which has seen significant population growth in recent years.
The council had identified a suitable site on land they own near The Avon in Blessington, which is already zoned for sports and recreation purposes.
However, the local authority missed out on the latest round of the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF), with plans for the swimming pool having already been rejected for LSSIF backing in 2019.
The 2019 application sought design funding, while the 2024 application looked for funding towards a ‘swimming pool build’.
Earlier this year Sinn Féin TD John Brady expressed his “dismay” when it came to light there was an underspend by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in relation to swimming pool grants provided to local authorities.
It was revealed at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee in June, which Deputy Brady now chairs, that the department underspent by €3.2 million.
In addition, only €3.1 million of the LSSIF’s €14.6 million budget was utilised. The assessment of applications, looking for funding of between €600,000 and €30 million, considered population size, sustainability, and ensuring that similar access is provided to accommodate access by men and women to LSSIF-funded facilities.
In a previous update provided to Deputy Brady, junior minister Charlie McConalogue said the underspend was partly due to the project not meeting all the necessary parameters of the scheme.
“Following a comprehensive assessment process, the development of a swimming pool in Blessington did not achieve the requisite criteria to qualify for grant support under either round of the scheme,” he said. “Due to the significant demand, a range of valid applications did not receive an LSSIF allocation at the initial allocation stage.”
It’s now emerged the that the application was not valid. Department records show the council was asked to provide the required title documentation. When this was not received, the project was not eligible for LSSIF funding.
Community campaigner: 'Both disheartening and infuriating'
Reacting to the news, Deirdre McCormack, who is chairperson of the Community Pool for West Wicklow campaign says this latest development is “both disheartening and infuriating”.
“We as a community or community group can not apply for funding from the LSSIF. Applications can only be made by local authorities or national governing bodies. Wicklow County Council have let down our community, our sports clubs, and the west of the county by dropping the ball here.”
Deirdre says a huge amount of work and research was carried out by the campaign between the council’s 2019 and 2024 applications.
“One of the first things that we did was to meet with representatives from the Department of Sport to learn how any future applications could be improved. Based on this meeting we reached out to Swim Ireland, the national governing body for swimming in Ireland, and built a strong relationship with them.
“Working together towards our common goal of making swimming accessible for everyone, we brought a pop-up pool to Blessington for 12 weeks in 2022. This demonstrated the need for local swimming facilities here in Blessington with over 600 children a week attending swimming lessons, as well as aqua fit classes, life-saving training, adult swimming lessons and accessible swimming classes for neurodiverse children and adults all taking place while the pool was here.”
The community has been calling out for the development of a swimming pool in west Wicklow for more than 50 years, with the campaign forming in 2018.
There is a clear need for a swimming pool and multi-use sports facility here
Despite the setbacks, Deirdre says they are not giving up.
“Our community and population are increasing, our sports clubs are growing, and our community groups are catering for more and more members,” she said.
“There is a clear need for a swimming pool and multi-use sports facility here, and this is reflected in the description of the development of a swimming pool in the west of the county as a priority in the most recent Wicklow County Development Plan.”
Deirdre has called on council officials to work with the campaign to find a way forward.
“Generations of west Wicklow residents have grown up and are currently growing up being denied the opportunity to learn how to swim and access local swimming facilities.
“We will continue to speak up and highlight the need for the development of a swimming pool and multi-use sports facilities here in west Wicklow and call on Wicklow County Council to work with us and our community to deliver this much needed and wanted pool for west Wicklow.”
A total of €2.23 million in LSSIF funding has been awarded to other Wicklow-based projects since 2020, including €1.79 million allocated to Wicklow Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre to upgrade pool facilities. Some €436,032 was allocated to Charlesland Athletics Track in Greystones for replacement of the athletics track.
The LSSIF was established under the National Sports Policy to provide exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under the Community Sports Facilities Fund, which in the 2023 round allocated €7 million to sporting projects in Wicklow.
Wicklow County Council was contacted for comment but had not replied at the time of publication. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme