Plan for major new sports campus in Mayo takes big step forward
The facility will include an international standard athletics track.
Mayo County Council has approved a management proposal to take out a loan of €4.7m for the Castlebar Outdoor Sports Campus.
The matter came before the February meeting of the authority, with Cllr Damian Ryan saying the campus will be “a game changer, not just for Castlebar town but for the whole county.”
Located on a greenfield site at Knockaphunta, near Lough Lannagh, the project will include a multi-lane international standard athletics track, floodlit multi-sport playing fields with 4G synthetic surfaces for GAA, soccer, and rugby, along with modern facilities designed to support high performance, inclusivity, and environmental sustainability.
Cllr Peter Flynn welcomed the news, noting: "When you see Westport athletes Freya and Holly Renton coming first and third in the British Championships recently and that they achieved this using pretty much substandard facilities for years, clearly anything to help young athletes is welcome.
"My only caveat is that while Lough Lannagh is a fantastic facility, the way it was set up in terms of structure, charging and design wasn’t thought through. We didn’t end up with the right fit for optimum car parking, which should be a part of it, as it was with the Leisure Centre in Westport and also the back lands there which created income in rates and rents.”
Cllr Donna Sheridan said: “We have all fought long and hard to get this land taken over and I thank our chief executive for his work on this. The proposal is for it to be run by the council and to provide opportunities and facilities, which are badly needed; for example, there is no girls’ pitch facility in this town and that is an absolute disgrace, so let’s get everything in place for all.”
Cllr Blackie Gavin agreed the new campus will be a game changer, but added: “The Government gave us €7.5m for this sports campus but we still have to borrow over four million. It should be grant aided 100%."
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
