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Question mark over funding for Abbotstown

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

CONFUSION surrounds the allocation of funding for Abbotstown Sports Complex under the recently announced Government cutbacks.
The Taoiseach told the Dáil during a speech on the cutbacks that funding for the project was to be deferred in order to save almost e3.9 million.
However, the Department of Sports last week told Northside People that works at Phase One of the Northside facility would go ahead as planned.
Phase one of the development includes the construction of state-of-the-art training and medical facilities for a wide range of sports people.
The announcement that funding was to be deferred was slammed by Dublin West TD, Joan Burton (Lab).
“The area currently has a chronic shortage of sports facilities,” said Deputy Burton.
“The Abbotstown Sports Campus is important to the development of Dublin 15 and the wider Dublin region.
“If Ireland is serious about being competitive at the London Olympics in 2012, then getting the sports campus up and running should be a priority.
“With trends showing worrying increases in youth obesity and anti social behaviour, the last thing the Government should be doing is cutting funding for the very projects which give young people a healthy, constructive alternative.”
The project will incorporate a national indoor training centre that will provide world-class facilities for over 20 different sports.
It will also have on site accommodation for athletes, sports science and medical facilities and 16 seven-a-side pitches for the local community and sports clubs in the area.
According to Deputy Burton, the Government’s backpedalling on spending is having a serious affect on Dublin 15.
“We have already seen broken promises on the much-needed gym for Castleknock Community College, the refurbishment for St. Brigid’s N.S. and the MRI scanner for Connolly Hospital,” she said.
“The National Sports Campus has been added to a long finger which is getting longer by the day.”
Local councillor and Mayor of Fingal Michael O’Donovan (Lab) also said he was disappointed to learn of the project’s deferral.
“We’ve had so many promises in relation to this development,” he told Northside People.
“I greatly fear that this deferral will be a long term one and that this will fall very much on the back burner.”
On July 9, An Taoiseach Brian Cowen detailed the Government’s cost-cutting plans in a Dáil address.
Among the cuts was the “deferral of the National Sports Complex project, making a saving of almost e3.9 million.”
However, the Department of Sports said the Sports Campus is not included in the Department’s adjustments for this year as outlined by Minister Cullen.
It was also stated that the position with regards the facility remains unchanged since April of this year when Phase 1 on the development was announced.
Phase I was announced by the late Minister Seamus Brennan on April 28. At the time of the announcement Minister Brennan emphasised the need for the project to progress without delay.
“The priority now is to make this project happen and to make it happen fast,” he stated.
“I have stressed to the Campus Development Authority the major investment the Irish taxpayer is making in this project and of the need to deliver real and tangible results over the next few years.”

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