2026-04-23

Will the Department provide the necessary funding to Cork City Council to enable building work to be carried out on Mayfield library and community centre in view of the fact the council has submitted an application for funding for this project? Will the Minister of State make a statement? Mayfield has a large population on the north-east side of Cork city. It has many retired people but the population in the area is growing as well, with over 1,500 houses being built within a 1 mile radius of the library. It also caters for residents in Dillon's Cross, St. Luke's and upper Glanmire and the Glanmire area, which was an area previously in the county, which has now come under the city council's jurisdiction. There is a very big population in this area. A Part 8 planning notice was filed on 22 April 2024 by Cork City Council setting out what the proposals were. The proposals set out the changes that are required in the facility there. It is very detailed. The council, I understand, prior to putting in that Part 8 planning notice in 2024, made a submission to the Department as far back as 2023. We are three years on and nothing has occurred. This is an important facility for the community. As well as a library, a community centre is attached to it, providing a lot of essential services for the area. The proposal included reconfiguration internally in the building itself, but also an extension to the existing facility to cater for the growing population of the area. It is an essential facility for the north-east side of Cork city, but also for the new housing that is being built in the immediate area. The housing is being built at a very fast pace. Over a three-year period, it is expected that at least 1,500 additional houses will be in place, with a new population moving in there. There will be people who are retired and new young families. It is important that the service provided by Mayfield library is up to date and it can provide for the population of the area. Will funding be provided to Cork City Council by the Department in order that this project can progress?

I am very grateful to my dear friend, Deputy Burke, for raising this matter, as is the relevant Minister. Public libraries are at the heart of all our communities. The Deputy and I were in the Chamber when our former colleague, Paschal Donohoe, made that very clear appeal as part of his closing salvo to this House. Public libraries are multi-purpose social, cultural and educational spaces for the whole community to enjoy. There are 330 public libraries nationwide providing an excellent service throughout the country. As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of library services, including buildings, is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. Accordingly, the funding and delivery of the Frank O’Connor Library in Mayfield project is primarily a matter for Cork City Council. In April 2023, the Department invited proposals for funding under the current Libraries Capital Programme 2023-2027. A total of 33 proposals were received for library capital projects and 15 for next generation mobile library vehicles. Each proposal received was evaluated thoroughly using a scoring matrix published with the initial call for proposals document. Cork City Council's application in respect of Mayfield library unfortunately did not score or rank high enough to receive funding approval or to merit inclusion on the waitlist. One of the key factors in the failure of this project to secure funding was the lack of progress regarding planning approval at the time. The Minister has been informed by Cork City Council that the library project at Mayfield Is categorised as a priority project in the council's development plan 2022 to 2028. I have also been further advised that the Part 8 planning application, as per the requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, was approved by councillors in October 2024, allowing the proposal to be progressed through the standard planning approval process. With Part 8 approval secured for Mayfield library, the project is now positioned to provide a modern multi-use facility for the north-east suburb of Cork city and its surrounding area. This places the Mayfield development a strong position to compete for future funding developments as they arise. The Department’s current libraries capital programme is fully committed. This ambitious €25.2 million investment includes €22.6 million in 11 state-of-the-art infrastructure projects nationwide and €2.6 million dedicated to 12 next generation mobile library vehicles to improve rural and community outreach. I am delighted that later this year, the Department will begin planning for the next iteration of the libraries capital programme and a successor to the current national library strategy. Since 2019, the Department has demonstrated a strong commitment to library services in the region, providing €8.3 million in funding to Cork City Council and Cork County Council public library services, through the libraries capital programme and the rural regeneration and development fund.

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. The issue is the new development that is going on. That was not part of the submission made in 2023 because it had not even gone through the planning process. There has been a huge growth in population. It is an area that needs to be prioritised. The library facility in Mayfield, which has very good staff, is not adequate for the demand that is there now. There is also the whole issue about community facilities as well, which is attached to the library and part of the library building. They also need to be upgraded. I was there earlier this week for the AGM of the community association. There is an active community association there. They are trying to assist in various projects in the immediate area, but they also need to have the infrastructure in place. For instance, one of the projects within the community facility is a preschool facility for a small number of children. That is already in place there. However, there is a whole lot of services that need to be developed. In particular, we need to ensure we have a library that is adequate for both the existing population and the growing of population. It is important it is prioritised. I ask that the Department makes sure it is considered in the next round of funding when it is dealing with it with Cork City Council.

While I agree with the Deputy it was a shame that the Mayfield library could not be considered in the most recent tranche, I do think the Department's response and the developments from a planning point of view and more widely in the local community in that part of County Cork illustrate the need and merit for the library to be considered in the next round. I have no doubt the next time a funding round becomes available, a strong submission will be made by Cork City Council. The Deputy may rest assured that I will raise with the relevant Minister the strong case he has put forward this afternoon. A common-sense approach to this would be valued not just by the locals and patrons in Mayfield but more broadly by all those projects and potential projects that will be seeking funding under the next scheme. I fully believe Mayfield will be in a very strong position. I look forward to providing Deputy Burke with whatever supports I can, along with the Minister, to achieve that development.