New dawn looms for Clover Meats site in Kilkenny

Kilkenny County Council are in the process of acquiring grounds of almost ten acres, including sports pitches and a social club, from the trustees of Clover Meats, in Christendom, Ferrybank, South Kilkenny.

The news was confirmed by Director of Services at Kilkenny County Council, Denis Malone, at the most recent meeting of Piltown Municipal District.

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Over the years, with the demise of the Clover Meats company and a dwindling membership of the social club, the facilities of the club had fallen into disuse and there was no longer any activity on site.

Some time ago the trustees of the Clover Sports and Social Club made the approach to officials of the council and the latter agreed in principle to take possession of the facility, subject to all legal documentation and transfer formalities being completed.

Mr Malone stated that the membership of the Clover Sports and Social Club at an EGM in the Community Room, adjacent to Ferrybank Library, held on June 28, agreed to transfer the former clubhouse and ancillary lands to Kilkenny County Council.

The legal paperwork to execute the transfer has commenced and should be completed over the coming months.

Once the legal transfer is complete, Kilkenny County Council will engage extensively with the local community and stakeholders to formulate a plan for the future of the facilities.

The use of the facilities for the recreational use of the community is a condition of the transfer.

The Clover Sports and Social Centre comprises a former social centre building and grounds on 3.83 hectares (9.46 acres).

At present this site is zoned as ‘Active Open Space’ in the Ferrybank-Belview Local Area Plan 2017.

It is the council’s objective to commence the review of the Ferrybank-Belview Local Area Plan this year (2023) with a completion date in 2024.

Work on a masterplan for the Clover Sports and Social Centre and grounds can proceed in parallel with this work.

News of the planned acquistion was greeted warmly by the councillors of the district.

Cathaoirleach of Piltown MD, Cllr Ger Frisby decribed the site as a ‘fabulous facility that had gone into disrepair over a number of years’ and said that it’s ‘great for it to come back into use’.

“It’s also great for the area, and hopefully we can get the pitches back in community use,” he said.

“Clover Hall would be great for social interaction.”

Cllr Tomás Breathnach said that he is looking forward to the development of the masterplan for the site and ‘felt certain the masterplan would be a valued legacy from all who had worked in Clover Meats and would be a fitting tribute to the trustees who had wanted to ensure that at all times in the future the facilities would be used for the benefit of the local community’.