Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
Additional funding has been allocated to the Stream 1 design phase of iRos an Indoor Recreation & Outdoor Sports Park planned for Roscommon town,
I welcome the additional Top Up” grant allocations to existing projects under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) is the main method of Government support for the development of larger sports and physical recreation facilities in the country.
I am delighted more funding has been allocated to the design of a major indoor centre & outdoor sports park in Roscommon has been allocated an additional €410,023, in addition to the original allocation of €136,484 that was awarded in January 2020. Congratulations to the team at Roscommon County Council in developing this proposal for the iRos indoor recreation and outdoor Sports Park in Roscommon town. This investment in the Stream 1 design phase will be a big boost to preparing a shovel ready project to apply for the next phase of Large Scale Sport Infrastructure.
The iRos project is for an indoor 4 court sports hall with and a sports park with one outdoor floodlit 3G pitch and one grass pitch. A perimeter trail for recreational walking will be a welcome addition for local community as well giving safe spaces for walking. The plan also includes redeployment of existing tennis courts within the site and enhancements to car parking and site access. A multi-sports hall will build on existing sports and leisure facilities in the town.”
The iRos project is one of only 7 projects across the country receiving top-up funding under Design Phase 1. The additional funding for projects is being provided, in response to delays experienced by grantees arising from the pandemic and construction inflation, following engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.”
For the first time, it will be a requirement for all successful applicants to publish their Similar Access Policies, in respect of men and women having access to the facilities on similar terms, in order to be eligible for a “top-up” allocation drawdown.
It is so essential that we have top class sporting facilities like this in County Roscommon so that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy and benefit from their use. We also need these important facilities to train and nurture our next generation of sporting stars to perform in elite sports.
Important news too that a new round of the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund will open for applications in the first half of 2024, with the dates, terms and conditions to be published on the Department’s website in due course. I would urge groups to work with their National Governing Bodies and Roscommon County Council in relation to projects,” Senator Aisling Dolan said.
