Plans for new Buncrana leisure centre to come before county council for approval

Plans for a new leisure centre in Buncrana are to come before Donegal County Council for approval next week.

The leisure centre on the town's shorefront closed in 2015 for renovations and has not reopened since.

Plans were submitted by the council in October last year for a new centre, including a swimming pool. Funding is being sought as part of the Repowering Buncrana project which involves a revamp of the town’s shorefront area. 

The plans are due to come before councillors for Part 8 planning approval on January 29. 

Gardaí seek assistance after break-in and fire at Buncrana leisure centre

Four males - three youths and one man - entered the building on Thursday, January 18 between approximately 6:10pm and 6:20pm and left a short time later via the Aileach Road in the direction of the Railway Road

Sinn Féin county councillor Jack Murray said the plans for a new swimming pool for the town have reached “a critical, and long-awaited juncture” in what he declined as  “the painfully long saga to get our new leisure centre constructed”. 

“There have been many false dawns over the years but now that designs and plans are agreed, and planning is to be approved – which I expect it will – then we will have taken a massive step forward.  

“Last year, I moved a motion which was unanimously backed by all councillors, asking the council to expand the Repowering Buncrana Project to include the leisure centre. This application is now expanded to seek over €20 million - by far the largest amount of public investment in the history of the town. Since then, a huge amount of work has been carried out by the council and the leisure centre committee so I am hopeful that this application will be successful, and that funding will be secured. 

“Nonetheless, this couldn’t move forward without planning approval in place. And I have no doubt this will be approved, given the previous backing of all councillors throughout Donegal in the past. 

“I know that the leisure centre remains one of the big demands for the people of Inishowen so it’s essential that all of us keep working together until we have the top-class facility that our community deserves.”