Given the long tortuous history of building a community centre for Knocknacarra, the project, which looks to be coming to fruition, must be monitored every step of the way until it is constructed.
This is the view of Independent councillor Catherine Connolly, who was speaking at Monday’s city council meeting.
At the meeting, councillors received a written progress report on the status of the proposed Knocknacarra Community Centre. It will cost €3 million to develop and it will be located alongside the dressing rooms at the Cappagh Park playing pitches. The plans for the centre were unanimously approved by councillors.
The planning application was on public display from August 10 to September 20 and no submissions or objections were received. The next step will be for City Hall to engage with the design team with a view to going to tender.
Independent councillor Catherine Connolly said this has been “a slow process” but that “positive steps are now being made” and she hopes the first sod will be turned in the spring.
She has also received assurances that councillors will be informed “every step of the way” and that at the November council meeting, council officials will outline the time scale and tender process in detail.
Councillors were also informed that the Department of the Environment has given a “favourable response” in relation to the necessary loan to finance the centre. City manager Joe O’Neill swas confident he would get approval by next week.
A sum of c€300,000, which was a donation for the proposed community centre at Shangort, is still held by the council and will be available and used once the construction contract is signed.
Cllr Connolly said the fact that the design of the centre is being carried out in-house by the city council has saved money and helped speed up the process.
“The in-house design has also allowed for the maximum communication in relation to making the community centre multi-functional including for the first time in a community centre, a performance space,” she said.
Fine Gael councillor Brian Walsh has welcomed the fact that the community centre has been given the go-ahead.
“People have been a long time waiting for this and a generation of young people have grown up without these facilities,” he said. “It’s very positive news and it’s important we keep the pressure on for funding and that work starts in the New Year.”
