COUNCILLOR Joy Beard of the 100% Redress Party has said that the people of Buncrana and Inishowen are entitled to honesty and accountability after more than ten years without a leisure centre, following comments by a fellow government councillor that she says are misleading and unfair.
Cllr Beard said attempts to suggest that local councillors or council budget decisions are responsible for the delay are simply wrong and distract from the real issue.
She said it was unacceptable to attempt to shift blame locally when the government had failed to prioritise the project for over a decade.
“Protecting local businesses from further commercial rates increases did not delay this project,” she said.
“What is delaying it was the failure to commit the capital funding required to build the leisure centre.
“We have to be open and honest about the true facts.”
Cllr Beard said the leisure centre has been closed since 2013.
“In all that time, government capital funding to rebuild it has never been committed,” she said.
“That is the fundamental problem, and it remains the problem today.”
She said the derelict building now standing in the centre of Buncrana has become a symbol of long-term neglect.
“It is an abandoned structure and a constant eyesore in the heart of the town,” she said.
“It reflects how people in Buncrana and across Inishowen feel – promised delivery, but left waiting year after year.”
Cllr Beard said the disappointment was deepened when anticipated funding for the Buncrana Leisure Centre, which had full planning permission and was ready to proceed, was instead awarded to the ATU project.
“At a time when Buncrana had full planning permission in place and genuine expectations that funding would finally be delivered, that funding was redirected elsewhere,” she continued.
“That was deeply disappointing for the community and represented another missed opportunity to finally turn plans into reality.”
Cllr Beard said the absence of a leisure centre continues to have real and lasting consequences for families and children.
“I am regularly contacted by schools seeking assistance to fund trips outside the area so children can learn how to swim,” she said.
“I am glad to support as many of those requests as possible through my Members Development Fund, but the reality is that this should never be necessary.
“In a coastal community, swimming is a basic life skill and a matter of safety.
“Too many children in Buncrana and Inishowen have been denied that opportunity.”
She also highlighted the wider impact on health and wellbeing.
“A leisure centre is not just about sport, it is a vital community space that supports physical health, mental wellbeing, and social connection,” she said.
“At a time when families are dealing with the stress and trauma of the defective concrete crisis, the lack of facilities that support wellbeing is being felt even more acutely.”
Cllr Beard concluded by calling for a renewed focus on delivery.
“The people of Buncrana and Inishowen do not want representatives blame-shifting or distraction,” she said.
“They want action.
“After more than a decade of waiting, it is time for the government to commit the funding needed and finally deliver the leisure centre this community deserves.”
