‘No plans and no funding’ for sports hub despite motion passed
By Aimee Walsh
A MOTION to provide a sports hub in Kingswood has passed, despite South Dublin County Council previously stating that there are “no plans and no funding” for the facility.
Brought forward by councillor Mick Duff, the motion for provision of a sports hub in Kingswood, Tallaght was passed to be included in the South Dublin County Council County Development Plan.
The council said the commitment to upgrade the tennis courts will be honoured
Cllr Duff said that he was happy to have his motion passed with “full support of all councillors” at the County Development Plan Meeting.
The motion is a welcomed one by residents and sports groups in the area, with a petition to develop a multi-use sports facility hub started in 2020.
Residents also stated that it was an urgent need for the community as the area had over 16 local teams and organisations that were forced to travel outside Kingswood to train due to the lack of facilities.
In May 2020, a motion was passed calling on the council to support the campaign and to have the local tennis court transformed into a sports facility.
The upgrade to the tennis courts at Kingswood Heights was included in the public realm improvement works programme in 2019 but were put on hold due to pending discussions with the Kingswood Heights Residents Association.
After the council met with the residents in January 2020, an agreement was reached that a joint visit would be arranged to inspect the tennis courts that had been upgraded similar to those proposed for Kingswood, but this never happened due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In their response to a question tabled by councillor Charlie’ O Connor at a recent Area Committee Meeting, the council said that it is intended that the commitment to upgrade the tennis courts “will be honoured during the course of 2021”.
