Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has expressed his bitter disappointment at the news that none of the sports projects who submitted applications for the €173 million Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) for Wicklow County Council were successful. As the population continues to grow, amid reports from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) that the population of the county will continue to grow by a further 10% by the end of the decade the news that the applications have been turned down is devastating. For some groups in Wicklow such as those campaigning for a Swimming Pool in West Wicklow, their disappointment is compounded by having previously having their applications rejected in 2019. As applications only open every five years. It will now be 2029 before another opportunity to apply for funding under the LSSIF emerges.
Brady said:
“The news today that a swathe of sports projects in Wicklow have had their applications for funding under the LSSIF rejected, as 35 other projects across the state received approval, is devastating. With the LSSIF applications only opening every five years, with some already turned down in 2019, this represents a huge chunk of the lives of young people who will now not be allowed to avail of the potential that these projects held for Wicklow.
This is supposed to be a fund to allow sport to be accessible to all. A premise which does not appear to extend to Wicklow, however.
The applications which include the Blessington Swimming Pool, the extension to Coral Leisure Centre Wicklow Town and the recreation park development at Ballywaltrim in Bray were all good strong applications, which were based on having identified a clear need within the respective communities.
I know having spoken today to a number of people in West Wicklow that the decision to refuse funding for the Swimming Pool is a bitter, bitter blow. Despite the fact that the application had cross party support and was included in the County Development Plan for Wicklow.
Again, and again we see infrastructure projects here in Wicklow being turned down, and this is a further damning indictment of a government which has failed to back the potential of sports development here in the Garden County by investing in much needed sports infrastructure.
I have to question the point of having three government TDs in the county, including a Taoiseach, and a Minister for Health, if they cannot deliver for Wicklow.
They should hang their heads in shame at the record of this government and its litany of failure when it comes to investment in Wicklow.
More and more we see the fabric of communities across the county being eroded as services and amenities are run down through lack of investment, and ideological bulwarks continue to be allowed to block the development of our transport infrastructure.
We need to see the development of sporting and social amenities that can be enjoyed by all of our communities, including a new sport campus which includes a swimming pool in West Wicklow, the Matt Kelly Sports Area Development at Newtownmountkennedy the progression of the plans for a sports campus for north Wicklow, a sports facility for Wicklow Town on the Hawkstown Road.
We need to further see the allocation of disused state buildings for community use, including the advancement of plans to redevelop the recently acquired Ashford Garda Station, and the handing over for community use of the former health centre in Donard.
Sporting and social amenities are central to the health and well being of our communities here in Wicklow. The decision on this government’s watch, to continue to refuse to invest in the infrastructure needed to ensure that the conditions can be created to ensure that vibrant communities can thrive, continues to relegate consideration of the needs of Wicklow.
It is a statement that says loud and clear, that the current powers that be are not concerned about the health or social wellbeing of our communities, that they are content to have them remain the way they are.
This is not good enough. I entered politics because I learned at an early age that this elite had no interest or concern for my community. It is what continues to motivate me. And I certainly will not be standing by and allowing for the continued relegation of our community by those who currently hold power in the state.” ENDs