2026-01-20

142. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his plans to improve sports and recreation facilities in west Wicklow in particular a sports centre for Baltinglass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4090/26]

West Wicklow has no major sports facility. It does not even have a swimming pool. A number of years ago, I successfully proposed a zoning in Baltinglass for a sports centre on council-owned land. A local sports group led by the basketball club have conducted a feasibility study, which demonstrates the need for such a centre in west Wicklow. Will the Minister of State support this project?

I thank the Deputy for raising this and for his advocacy on behalf of the development of facilities in west Wicklow. He will have heard my previous response in relation to the support available through the community sport facilities fund and the large scale sport infrastructure fund. On Baltinglass, I confirm that no application for funding was received under either the LSSIF or the CSFF for a sports centre there. We are opening up, as I said, the CSFF over the course of this year and, in particular, the LSSIF will be considered over the course of this Government. As I mentioned in the previous response, we have a number of situations across the country like the situation the Deputy described in west Wicklow, where there is not the provision of swimming facilities to meet the needs of the local community. Following on from the completion of the Swim Ireland report, something we will consider is where those gaps are. We will also look to see what models can be put in place that would work and be viable in developing more facilities, could be run in a way that is cost-effective and provide the services needed in terms of swim facilities for local communities. I will certainly work with the Deputy on his advocacy for developing facilities in west Wicklow and seeing what steps the Government can take to ensure that future funding meets the needs of communities where there is a particular gap, such as in his constituency.

Baltinglass is situated in south-west Wicklow and is 38 miles from here. It is the centre of a large hinterland. Currently, there is no sporting facility in the wider area. This project would also align with all the national policies that support balanced regional development, from the national planning framework to the Baltinglass town plan. The project is supported by Wicklow County Council and several local clubs and community groups in west Wicklow. Recent public and club-level consultations indicate significant demand for improved sports facilities within the wider area. The centre would be used by clubs from all over west Wicklow as well as nearby Carlow and south Kildare. To date, Wicklow has not received its fair share of large scale sport infrastructure funding. That should change.

In the most recent round of the community sport facilities fund, we saw €7 million allocated to sporting projects across County Wicklow. I know this is a project the Deputy is clear is very much needed and is working closely with Wicklow County Council in relation to it. I am very open to continuing to work with him to see how we can ensure that as we open future rounds of the CSFF this year, and are looking towards the next LSSIF round, that applications, such as for the sports centre he is working on, can be considered as part of that. I acknowledge the work and advocacy the Deputy is doing to try to address a real need within the community. From the Government's point of view, it is our objective to try to support the further development of facilities. We will work with the Deputy on that.

The recreation, leisure and sports audit for Baltinglass municipal district was commissioned by Wicklow County Council to assess the current provision of recreational, leisure and sporting facilities across the area and to identify future needs. Some 86% of participants in the audit said that lack of facilities was the main barrier to partaking in sport and recreation. This would fill that gap. I also know that many clubs in the area have no home. This facility, which would be community based, would allow these clubs to have a home. This is especially true of the successful basketball club. It has members who come from all over west Wicklow and Kildare. West Wicklow has nothing in the way of large sports facilities. This project, which is being promoted by a group of dedicated people, looks to correct this and I urge the Minister of State to support it.

I recognise the work of the county council in working with the group. The future provision of sporting facilities is something we want to see being done on a collaborative basis as much as possible, particularly with local authorities trying to bring sporting clubs together to ensure there is synergy in the utilisation of existing land and the investment in facilities. I acknowledge the merits of the project the Deputy is putting forward and we will work with him in relation to upcoming funding rounds to ensure it can be considered.