New swimming pool for Offaly step closer after near €9m grant confirmed

A GOVERNMENT grant of €8.9m under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) has been made towards the new Edenderry Pool project.

This follows a €2m allocation earlier this year to draw up plans for the pool. The existing pool building was damaged by a fire in January.

The news of the near €9m grant was revealed last night in advance of the official announcement this morning and has generated tension between two general election candidates.

According to the office of the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Green Party Senator Pippa Hackett, the announcement was to be made at 11am on Monday morning but on Sunday night Cllr Claire Murray, a Fianna Fail candidate in the forthcoming general election, released a statement disclosing the grant allocation.

Minister Hackett said close engagement with her party colleague Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Sport delivered this hugely significant and much needed funding package for the north Offaly area.

Minister Pippa Hackett, who is also running in the general election, said: “I am ecstatic and yes, I have been advocating for this funding, and the Minister's support from the outset, so don’t let any solo politician tell you this is down to them. This pool, once it is finally delivered, will be due to the commitment of literally hundreds of people – from Offaly County Council, and here I’m thinking of Sharon Kennedy, who first introduced the project to me, and more recently Andrew Murray who has been liaising with me, to Cllr Noel Cribbin and the pool committee and Brenda, manager of the original pool which is so badly missed - to the 140 people, families and organisations whose written submissions counted towards the success in achieving the funding announced today.

“The LSSIP fund is highly competitive and today’s announcement is a major achievement. But to deliver this project for the community we mustn’t be complacent: Further funding is still needed, planning permission needs to be obtained, and most of all community patience during the construction phase; but I believe it is realistic to expect that a state of the art and fully accessible pool, for everybody, regardless of ability or age or any other characteristic is possible in the next couple of years.”

The project for Edenderry includes a competition-standard swimming pool facility and fitness centre, FINA (International Swimming Federation) standard six-lane, 25m short course swimming pool, children's pool, and a hydrotherapy recovery area with hot and cold baths, a sauna and steam room, and strength and conditioning gym.

Cllr Murray said she had been contacted by Thomas Byrne, Minister for Sport and informed of “this fantastic news”.

“All through the local election campaign and now the general election campaign, the loss of our swimming pool in Edenderry was highlighted and has been felt by people throughout the county. It is one of the topics that we discuss regularly at Municipal District Council meetings. I know that the Swimming Pool Committee and Offaly County Council put in extensive work to apply for this funding and the allocation of these funds will ensure that the people and schools of Edenderry and surrounding areas will not only have a brand new library, A new secondary school and now a brand new swimming pool to look forward to. I have heard from many people throughout my campaign that Edenderry and North Offaly needs to be put'Back on the Map'. The addition of these facilities will undoubtedly help us move forward, into the future,” said Cllr Murray.

The Fianna Fail councillor noted the previous allocation of €2m for the development of plans for the new pool.

“The allocation of a further €8.9m is a terrific boost for the people of Edenderry and will ensure a new, state of the art facility will serve the people of Edenderry. It is important to everyone that the pool is highly accessible for people with disabilities and also that the pool is as sustainable as possible. I am also hopeful that the new pool will be accessible financially for people, as the previous pool was. I raised this at the Municipal District Meeting in September as it is important to me that cost does not prohibit marginalised people from enjoying the new facilities,” she said.

“I am thrilled to see the ambitions in our hopes for this new facility. Elements such as a gym space or studio, hydrotherapy and a pool that will cater for competitive event hosting would surely help put north Offaly on the map,” concluded Cllr Murray.

Fine Gael's Kinnitty-based councillor and Offaly general election candidate John Clendennen welcomed the announcement saying that Edenderry had encountered "some dark days with the immediate closure of the swimming pool earlier this year".

His party colleague in Edenderry, Cllr Noel Cribbin, described the allocation as “the best news ever received in his 25 years in politics and representing the town”.

Cllr Cribbin acknowledged the work of so many in getting the project to this stage in less than 12 months: “The committee with the great help and assistance of Offaly County Council have worked alongside pool manager Brenda Hennessy to submit an application to Government for €15m package that it will cost to build a new pool, this has been a key priority for me and I’m delighted with this funding commitment by government”.

The Fine Gael representatives pointed to a number of other large scale projects currently earmarked for Edenderry, including plans for a new library, arts space and performance area, primary care facility and a new site location for Oaklands College.

Cllr Clendennen acknowledged the work and commitment of Cllr Cribbin and the swimming pool committee, Offaly County Council and the many more stakeholders involved in getting the project to this stage.

“With the financial framework in place, I’m looking forward to seeing construction commence and delivery of this important facility in the future, ensuring the continued progress of Edenderry as our primary town in the east of the county,” said the election candidate.

The total amount of grants awarded is €173m, with  35 individual projects benefiting.  The largest single recipient is Dalymount Park, Dublin, which will receive €24.7m.

Minister Martin said the cumulative investment from the LSSIF since 2020 is €297m.

"Through this unprecedented investment, the government is establishing a foundation for a more promising future in sports and recreation, emphasising accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement," said the Green Party sports minister.

Projects allocated LSSIF funding will now proceed to further evaluation and due diligence processes and the Government has warned that a new 'use it or lose it' clause has been introduced which will ensure that if there has been no drawdown of any part of a grant within two to three years, or before a new LSSIF round is announced, the grant offer will be deemed withdrawn.

A reserve list of projects will be drawn up.

Junior sports minister Mr Byrne said: "This funding underscores our commitment as a Government to seeing sport prosper in communities across Ireland."

Applications for a fund of up to €120m were made between April and July last but after what the Department Sport said was positive engagement with Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe the overall scale of the funding was increased to the level announced on Monday.