Lands for expanded Garda College may never be developed
Land in Clonmore, located near Templemore and Roscrea, were bought in 2006
Land purchased in North Tipperary with the intention of expanding the Garda Training College in Templemore might never be developed for that purpose according to Tipperary’s Dáil representatives.
256 acres of land in Clonmore, located near Templemore and Roscrea, were originally bought in 2006 for €5.5 million, with the intention to expand the Garda Training College into a Centre of Excellence, replete with an expansive campus capable of accommodating essential modern training for the police force.
Off-road and high speed pursuit training, as well as firearms and public order training were intended to be carried out at the undeveloped site.
However, the facility was never created and the subsequent financial crisis in 2008 saw the issue slip from the list of government priority spending.
In May, the Minister for Justice confirmed to Tipperary Labour TD and party spokesperson on justice, Deputy Alan Kelly, there were “no plans” to develop the Clonmore lands for Garda training.
Deputy Kelly said that a review group was due to report by the end of the summer on work to “identify delivery options to increase the scale and capacity of high-quality education, training and continuous professional development in An Garda Síochána”.
In June, the Office of Public Works (who are the caretakers of the property), said that some off-road training facilities for use by the Garda Training College have been provided at Clonmore and that work has been done on buildings located on the lands, some of which are working as farmlands.
The “long-term future of the property is under consideration by the OPW in consultation with An Garda Síochána, in line with their potential future requirements,” the OPW said, which Deputy Kelly, described as “worrying.”
Speaking on the issue last week, Independent Tipperary TD, Deputy Michael Lowry said he has received a commitment from government that Templemore would remain the primary national training facility for Gardaí and he believes the Clonmore lands will be disposed of by the Office of Public Works.
Deputy Lowry said case studies revealed the level of investment needed at the Clonmore site is not justified and the outreach centre in Tallaght will be prioritised for the expansion of Garda training.