Recreational facilities at Kildare's schools should be open to all
‘This could address the need for amenities across the county’
School buildings within Kildare should be made available for amenity use.
This is according to Kildare County Council, which said that the recreation facilities at schools could be made available for community use.
KCC official Marian Higgins said that this could address the need for affordable and sustainable recreation and amenity facilities, which was highlighted by Fianna Fáil councillors Suzanne Doyle and Donna Pender.
The councillors called on KCC for policies which would help deliver amenities.
But Ms Higgins countered that there is already a range of policies in place or being planned.
Ms Higgins said KCC believes that a “new set of policies” are not the key requirement to deliver infrastructure.
Instead she identified the barriers as money as well as the need to unlock or expand community use of existing infrastructure.
She also said there is a need to collaborate with other agencies and partners “to co-locate new projects that bring forward recreation infrastructure in tandem with other development, in a planned process, such as masterplans and hubs..
Ms Higgins also said there is a need to “enhance the capacity and success of on-government sports bodies and clubs in the county” to access government funding, which could be used to develop or expand existing facilities to meet current and projected population demands.