Petition urges fresh community centre proposal for Limerick village
MORE than 460 residents of Patrickswell have signed a petition urging fresh plans for a community centre in the village.
Independent councillor Fergus Kilcoyne collected the signatures after becoming disillusioned with plans for a new €1.5m facility which was given permission by local planners last year.
He feels the community council did not involve locals, and with construction expected to begin this month, he wants a public meeting on the matter.
“Some of the community council members do not see the current plans being fit for purpose and I agree with that view. These members recently requested a public meeting be held , but this was refused. I believe the community of Patrickswell should have their say on what is being built in their name for use by their families,” Cllr Kilcoyne said.
Initially, an 8,000 square foot community centre was envisaged, but then plans were submitted cutting the proposals down to 1,300 square foot, with Cllr Kilcoyne claiming many were left out of the loop.
“The biggest problem I heard on the doorsteps was a lack of communication between the community council and the people on the ground. They’ve a major grievance with that,” he said.
Councillor Kilcoyne feels the news this week that the government has granted €500,000 towards a Patrickswell community hub only strengthens his calls for a larger facility.
He has sent the petition by recorded post to the council, claiming they refused to accept it in person from him.
In response, PJ O’Grady of the community council said: “The layout of our proposed centre is in the region of 20% larger than Ballybrown community centre which we believe has the ability to cater for the needs of our community. It is important to take into consideration that as our community grows and as funding becomes available we will have the ability to extend our community centre.”
He defended the council’s engagement with the community, pointing out that during the design and planning stage due to the ongoing Covid-19 public health restrictions, it was unsafe to hold public meetings in 2020 and last year.