The proposed new Buncrana Leisure Centre
By Chris Ashmore
Donegal County Council is hoping to splash the cash on leisure centres and swimming pools over the next three years – with plans to spend more than €24 million on new projects and the upgrading of some existing facilities.
The Council is hoping to spend €5.17 million on leisure centre projects in 2025, €5.75 million in 2026 and €13.75m in 2027.
Investment is set to take place at the Aura Leisure Centre, Finn Valley Leisure Centre, Ballyshannon Leisure Centre, and Waterworld in Bundoran.
The county’s flagship leisure centre is the Aura complex in Letterkenny – and its success has been such that there have been calls recently for a major extension to its swimming pool.
However, this is likely to be some years down the track as the undoubted priority at present is the redevelopment of Buncrana Community Leisure Centre at a cost of more than €17 million.
There is no provision for any extension at Aura in the Council’s Capital Budget Programme for 2025-2027.
The cost of running leisure centres has soared over the past number of years, with the surge in electricity and heating costs being a major factor over the past year or so, not to mention other inputs such as labour and insurance.
But Donegal’s leisure centres are getting ‘greener’ – in the sense they are becoming increasingly energy efficient. But it means forking out money up front in order to get the pay back later. Currently an energy efficiency “invest-to-save” programme is being developed by the Council to help meet climate action targets.
This could cost as much as €1.5 million over the 2025-2027 period.
And just replacing fixtures and fittings and keeping on top of things is also demanding at each of the existing leisure centres in the county which range in age from 13-32 years.
The local authority is budgeting to spend €250,000 annually on what is effectively the maintenance of its centres with a number of items being replaced where necessary.
As a council official explained; “This investment is necessary to protect the assets and to maintain each facility to a required standard to attract and retain customers. Failure to do so will have a detrimental effect on longevity of these vitally important community facilities.”
According to the Council’s revenue budget figures for 2025, it will spend in excess of €1.18 million on the day-to-day operational costs of leisure centres around the county next year.
Some of the chief projects identified in Donegal Co. Council’s Capital Budget for 2025-2027 are outlined below. Funding for most energy and sports capital expenditure projects will come from the State by way of grants in many cases, although the Council may have to raise some matching funding.
Aura Leisure Centre
Continued investment is on the way to ensure that the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny becomes more energy efficient. An application is being prepared under the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat for the replacement of its oil heating system with a new biomass burner at a projected cost of €500,000.
Finn Valley Leisure Centre
Funding of €200,000 (70 per cent of the cost) for energy efficiency measures has been secured while an application has also been made for a Community Energy Grant. A programme is expected to be drawn up in the coming months to make the centre in Stranorlar more energy efficient.
Buncrana Leisure Centre
More than €68,000 has already been spent on preliminary design of a complete redevelopment of the centre which has been closed since 2015.
The project is regarded as being “shovel-ready” and has full planning permission. However, there was disappointment that the funding required was not granted recently under the latest Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund.
Addressing a recent plenary meeting of Donegal Co. Council, Michael McGarvey, Director of Services, confirmed that the council is continuing to seek funding in what is “a live application” and he stressed that it is an “absolute priority”.
Noting that the Buncrana development is on a “reserve list” at present, he added: “We are doing everything we can to get funding.”
He also revealed that there could be a cross-border approach to getting funding.
If approval is given for detailed design works to be completed in 2025 – at a cost of more than €300,000 – a contract could be awarded.
The Council has projected building costs of €4 million in 2026 and €12 million in 2027. As things stand the earliest a new leisure centre will be open in Buncrana appears to be in 2028.
Ballyshannon Leisure Centre
No expenditure of significance is planned in 2025 for Ballyshannon Leisure Centre. However, works are being completed on an energy efficiency measures programme at a cost of €300,000. It is estimated that these works will lead to energy savings of 30-40 per cent as well as reducing carbon emissions. Based on the Ballyshannon experience, it is hoped similar works will follow in the other leisure centres.
Waterworld
A major €1.9 million upgrade, including a new changing village and new foyer, is on the cards. A contractor is expected to be appointed shortly with a view to having the works completed in time for the 2025 season.
However, according to Donegal Co. Council documentation “an urgent issue” has also arisen with the air handling unit in the main pool hall which is considered to be at an “end of life” stage and will need replacing at a cost of up to €500,000. In total, capital expenditure at Waterworld in 2025 could reach €2.8 million.
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