Council petitioned for swimming pool in East Cork

A call has been made to Cork County Council to take remedial action on the lack of public swimming facilities in the East Cork area.

The call comes in the shape of a formal civic petition, signed to date by 440 people across Midleton, Carrigtwohill, and Cloyne, which was submitted to the council this week under section 127 of the Local Government Act 2001.

The petition, titled Petition for Remedial Action on Public Swimming Provision in East Cork, was lodged with Cork County Council chief executive Moira Murrell, as well as the East Cork municipal district, asking for the approval and funding of the restoration or rebuilding of a public swimming pool for Midleton, through the ringfenced local authority swimming pool programme.

The appeal submitted to the local authority highlights four grounds as to why a public pool should be constructed in the area.

Opportunity

The first ground is ‘the opportunity’, saying that funds for a pool should be allocated so residents can benefit from amenities like other towns such as Fermoy and Mallow; the second is ‘the challenge’, detailing how residents in the area are missing out on essential skills such as swimming due to the lack of a public pool; the third is ‘the implications’, highlighting how Cork has a high number of drownings, making the case for a need for public pools to bolster swimming strength; and the fourth is ‘the case for action’, saying that public pools are not discretionary amenities and are foundational health and safety infrastructure.

The online petition, submitted to the council, has been signed by 440 people at the time of print, with a target of 500.

The submission additionally requests that the issue be tabled at the next East Cork municipal district meeting and that the council chief executive initiate preparation of a funding application under the local authority swimming pool programme.

For more information, or to sign the petition, visit https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/restore-public-swimming-for-midleton-and-east-cork-ringfenced-funding-already-available.