This article is from page 12 of the 2011-11-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
A MOVE to provide top-class sports amenities for the east Clare catchment of Killaloe and Ballina is expected to be taken a stage further this week with backing from Clare County Council planners for a range of new facilities.
The Ballina/Killaloe Sports and Development Facilities Development Company is behind plans to develop two new full-size playing pitches, an all-weather pitch, floodlit training areas, walking and cycling trails, changing and carparking facilities at a site in Moys, Killaloe.
The planning application for the development was lodged on June 15 last, with a deadline of this Wednesday laid down by Clare County Council for a final decision date on the proposal.
The move to provide extra sports facilities in the area comes a matter of months after the local GAA club on the Clare side of the Shannon, Smith O’Briens, was given the green light to develop a major club/community facility at its base on Shantraud.
In May, conditional planning permission was granted for an ambitious project that includes the development that includes a new clubhouse, changing rooms, a sports hall, meeting rooms, a hurling wall, an astroturf pitch and a spectator stand.
The Smith O’Briens club initiative is set to be funded by members of the local community themselves through an investors draw where a thousand people to pay € 4 a week to the development kitty – a contribution that works out at € 17.33 a week and € 208 over the year.
“For that, we will have a draw every month, giving away € 3,700 in cash prizes,” says Tony O’Brien of Smith O’Briens. “There will be 20 prizes including a top prize of € 1,000, two € 500 prizes, two € 250 prizes all the way down to eight € 50 prizes. The plan is to develop under the umbrella of the GAA, but it will be a community facility, open for everyone.
“The idea of the draw is that the community are investing in a facility for themselves. If we managed to get a thousand members we would raise over nearly € 500,000 for the project over three years,” he adds.