Mixed news for Cork city councillors seeking more sports facilities

Monday’s meeting of Cork City Council saw both good and bad news for councillors seeking additional sports facilities in the city.

Fianna Fáil’s Seán Martin and Fine Gael’s Damian Boylan had both called for a running track, and the council’s director of community, culture, and placemaking shared that Cork City Council is to fund the Athletics Board to hire consultants to undertake a feasibility study on this project, which should take around 16 weeks.

A motion by Labour’s Laura Harmon called on the council to support work towards a Cork lido, and the council said it has provided support for a voluntary group to conduct a location analysis for this lido and is working with Swim Ireland to model the need for swimming facilities in the city in general.

“Sites are being appraised for the provision of swimming facilities, after which business plans etc will be prepared.

“This process will take time, and the members of Cork City Council will be kept informed,” councillors were told.

However, a second swimming-related proposal from her colleague, John Maher, for the council to work with Dolphin Swimming Club to secure a home for their 50m swimming pool did not receive as positive a response.

The Mayfield-based club bought the pool earlier this year for €100,000, raised by club members, but it remains in storage.

Mr Maher was informed that a meeting was held with club officials “and it is understood that very substantial capital costs would have to be incurred to bring this project to fruition, with no indication of how this could be funded nor the ongoing substantial operating costs met.”

Mr Maher also had a motion calling for the installation of tennis courts in public parks.

The council said: “The approximate cost of providing two new tennis courts is €100,000.

“Most of our parks are not suitable due to lack of space or topography.

“Neither is there evidence that provision of additional courts could be justified in terms of usage and cost.”

This response was criticised by Mr Maher, as well as Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gould, who pointed out that it is “hard to determine the usage of something when it’s not already there”.

Fine Gael’s Joe Kavanagh shared that he was a former tennis coach and at the time it was “a very exclusive sport”, and that he too would support the motion and anything that makes the sport more accessible to everyone.