Plan for major athletics facility in Mallow is progressing

An ambitious plan to develop a world-class athletics facility in Mallow is progressing through the governmental approval process.

Responding to a query from Cork North Central Labour Party TD Eoghan Kenny, the Department of Culture, Communication and Sport has confirmed documentation requested from Cork County Council related to the project was submitted in June.

In November 2024, the department announced that a grant of €2m in large scale sports infrastructure funding was awarded to Cork County Council for the facility at Carhookeal in Mallow.

The plans include a floodlit Olympic size, eight lane 400m running track, surrounding a designated area for field sports such as javelin and shot putt.

The track is the first phase of plans for a larger facility on the site, an indoor basketball court, soccer, rugby, and astroturf pitches and tennis courts.

Mr Kenny told The Echo: “I have been given an assurance that the project will now be prioritised to progress through approval gate one, which is the next major milestone and will allow the project to move to tender.”

Once the tender process is completed, the project will proceed to approval gate three, where the department will consider the updated business case, revised financial information, post tender report and bill of quantities, before granting approval for the next stage.

Local Labour county councillor Ronan Sheehan said that the progress update represents another important step towards delivering a facility that Mallow has sought for many years.

“This is encouraging news for everyone involved in athletics and sport across Mallow and North Cork. While there are still stages to complete, it is positive to know that the project is moving through the approval process. We will continue working with all stakeholders to ensure momentum is maintained.”