Pressure from locals for pool renovation

“Long-established groups . . . are in desperate need of a permanent base for practice.”

The old swimming pool in Clondalkin is set to be assessed after pressure from local groups to turn it into a community space.

The pool building has been closed for years and is one of the sites being examined and reviewed within the context of the formulation of the Local Area Plan.

Councillor Francis Timmons has fond memories of the place and hopes it can return to its old glory in a new form.

Cllr Timmons stated: “I am old enough to remember it being built when the local community paid for a brick to build it – I also remember Clondalkin Community Radio being based there.

“It has huge potential to facilitate so many local groups looking for a home and also some of the storage issues many groups have.”

Calls for the building once dubbed ‘the baths’ to be restored from a state of disrepair and returned to public use have been heard for over a decade.

Locals have taken to using the walls of the old pool for graffiti, with the street art being the most life the building has seen since its closure.

The work to revitalise the building has been described by the council as a long-term project in past years but progress towards repurposing the building has yet to be seen, despite years of advocation in its favour from figures such as Cllr Timmons.

The Clondalkin councillor believes that several local groups could benefit greatly in the near future from having a home in the building.

“Long established groups like the Clondalkin Youth Band, Clondalkin Pipe Band and Clondalkin Drama Group are in desperate need of a permanent base for practice, storage and performance.

“Residents groups like Kilcronan and Cherrywood, along with Clondalkin Tidy Towns are in desperate need of storage.

“The local authority needs to continue to work with all these groups who are a huge part of our community and make our community a better place to live through entertainment, performances . . . enhancing our area through clean-ups, flower planting and other projects.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.