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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 24 Apr 1997

Vol. 478 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Dublin City University Sports Facilities.

I feel a sense of loss at the Ceann Comhairle's impending departure. While Members on either side of the House did not always agree with every decision he made, he will be missed. He is a formidable figure.

In 1981 Dublin City University, which then had the status of an NIHE, took in the first students to its campus in the north side of Dublin city. The current student population of the university is approximately 5,500. The campus site was probably inadequate to meet the ambitious development plans for the university and over the years the land bank was used for new buildings. These buildings are well designed but unfortunately there has been a steady erosion of the land available for recreational facilities. Planning permission has been granted for a new chemical science building in the near future. Following this development, which is by no means the final one, there will be one playing pitch for the 5,500 students.

Having obtained substantial support from the private sector, DCU purchased from the Eastern Health Board St. Clare lands on Ballymun Road which are adjacent to the campus. The local community were delighted with this purchase as they were concerned that the site would be used for a housing development. DCU obtained planning permission from the local authority for the development of this land as a major sports facility not only for the university but also the entire community. The university has a track record of making its facilities available to the public. Even though it is a university, it received grant aid in the past because it guaranteed access to its facilities to the local community. It has honoured this commitment.

It has been argued that this kind of project should not qualify for a sports grant under the national lottery. However, DCU was allocated £500,000 for its sports complex because it would also be used by the local community. Three or four sporting groups in the area are anxiously waiting the development of this site as they do not have facilities of their own. Planning permission was granted last year but the project has come to a halt due to a lack of funding. Having obtained so much private funding, the university rightly believes that it deserves some support from the State. The Minister should make a special allocation to the college.

This local good news story is becoming a bad news story in that the site is not being developed and there is a problem with security. The local community are becoming cynical about whether these lands will be developed. Given the success of the college in acquiring private funding to purchase this major site, favourable consideration should be given to its request for funding. This facility will be to north Dublin what the Belfield campus is to south Dublin. I could not agree strongly enough in favour of Government support for this project which will make a valuable contribution to the local area. Dublin Corporation cannot meet the needs of local sporting clubs and it has discussed with DCU the possibility of using this new facility to meet these needs. I look forward to a favourable response from the Minister.

I am glad that the Deputy has raised this matter as it gives me an opportunity to explain the position. The Department of Education received a submission late last year from Dublin City University in which it requested £1 million in national lottery funding through the Sports Capital Programme which is administered by the sport section of the Department. The submission relates to the development of 35 acres of land, within 100 metres of the university, which is part of a 37 acre parcel of land purchased by the university from the Eastern Health Board at a cost of £4.3 million. I understand that funds derived from the private sector were used in this purchase.

The land is to be used to develop outdoor sporting facilities for the university. Dublin City University has pointed out that as the number of buildings on the campus had to be increased to cater for the increased number of students attending the college the available land for outdoor sporting activities has decreased to the stage where it is inadequate.

The development of the recently acquired land will consist of seven pitches to enable GAA games, rugby, soccer and cricket to be played. One of the pitches will be a floodlit, all-weather pitch. There will be future provision for track events around one of the other pitches. Suitable car parking will be provided and there will be pedestrian routes traversing the site. The cost of developing these facilities is estimated at £1.7 million. This is an exciting project and I appreciate the vision of, and effort made by, Dublin City University in acquiring the land and in developing the project. I also understand that the university has sold on two acres of the land to the North Dublin School Project for a sum below the original purchase price. This reflects the ongoing commitment of the university to the part of Dublin in which it is located. There is also very considerable public use of the existing indoor sports facilities at the university which were part funded through a grant of £500,000 under the Department's Sports Capital Programme. I fully accept that the existing outdoor facilities at the university are inadequate to meet the needs of the university and the surrounding areas.

As I have already indicated, the submission from Dublin City University will be considered under the major facilities scheme of the Department's Sports Capital Programme. This programme now comprises over 140 major projects with total grant allocations amounting to more than £40 million. An amount of £4 million is available for allocation to projects under the major facilities scheme this year. However, while the demand for funding under the scheme is very high only limited funding is available. The Department has more than 1,000 applications for funding under the Sports Capital Programme at any one time and the overall value of the grant aid requested ranges from £75 million upwards. Each application is reviewed on its merits in accordance with the criteria of the scheme and the grant allocation process is monitored by the Irish Sports Council. The Minister of State with responsibility for sport will give the submission from Dublin City University every consideration when decisions are being made on grant allocations this year.

The Sports Strategy Group, under the chairmanship of John Treacy, has reported to the Minister. Its report, "Targeting Sporting Change in Ireland", which was launched last February sets out a strategic approach to sport in Ireland during the period 1997-2000 and beyond. It has recommended a revised approach to the provision and funding of sports facilities in the future on the basis of the development of a national plan for community facilities and for national and competition facilities. Work on the development of this plan is under way.

I wish to avail of this opportunity to congratulate Dublin City University on its achievements to date in providing for the development of high quality outdoor sporting facilities. I assure the House and the university that the application for grant assistance will receive very serious consideration from the Department.

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