Leitrim County Council urged to provide sports infrastructure in housing developments
Calls have been made for sports infrastructure in new housing developments
Leitrim County Council has been urged to undertake a pilot trial to provide sports infrastructure within selected housing developments.
At last week's County Council meeting, Cllr Cormac Flynn (SF) tabled a motion calling for this trial, subject to full consultation and agreement with residents.
“The objectives of this pilot trial would be to examine whether the inclusion of accessible, local sports and recreational facilities encourages greater participation in sport and physical activity, particularly among children and young people,” the motion continued.
Speaking about this motion, Cllr Flynn said, “When I was young, we ran street leagues. We even appointed referees. It kept us busy and entertained.”
“All of that happened because we had goalposts,” he added.
Cllr Flynn went on to say that, “outside of formal training, the rest of the week is unaccounted for. This would be a great opportunity for kids to make friends.”
“Expressions of interest should be sent to Residents Associations. We should overcome obstacles and pursue this,” he added.
The motion was supported by Cllr Enda Stenson (Ind), who stated, “there might be some issues around this, but it would be wonderful to achieve.”
A written reply from the council stated, “Estates and developments already have access to established funding mechanisms that can support the provision of appropriate sports and physical activity infrastructure.”
“These funding streams can be used to develop facilities such as play and recreation spaces and informal sporting infrastructure, subject to eligibility criteria and community engagement,” the reply added.