Minister's decision gets cool reaction

Sports campusSporting organisations at the centre of the planned sports campus at Abbotstown - athletics, golf and tennis - have reacted coolly to the Government's formal consent to proceed with the project.

On Monday night the Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue, approved the Board of Campus and Stadium Ireland Development (CSID) to begin the "phased and prioritised" development of the campus, which was originally part of the proposed plans for a national stadium at the Abbotstown site.

A spokesperson for O'Donoghue's Department confirmed yesterday: "There is now a clear and unequivocal Government decision for the phased and prioritised development of a sports campus at Abbotstown. The obstacles that have stymied the project for the last five or six years have now been removed by virtue of the Government decision last Tuesday (to fund the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road as the national stadium)."

The original vision for the project included a 15,000-seater indoor arena, a new tennis centre and golf academy, a 200-metre cycling velodrome, as well as other various training grounds and headquarters for sporting associations. The indoor arena, with an original budget of €70 million, is likely to be the first priority of CSID, not least because its commercial viability would attract some private-sector funding.

Yet the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) continues to pursue its own plans for an indoor arena, and a new headquarters, at the national athletics stadium in Santry.

"We have already had tentative discussions with the Government to reactivate our plans for Santry," said AAI international secretary Liam Hennessy, "and we're hopeful to get that project going in a meaningful manner quite shortly. We need a permanent indoor track, which would be generally available to the sport, whether it's a multi-purpose facility or not. And at this stage we are only looking at the Santry development, and as far as we're concerned Santry is the place for the headquarters of Irish athletics, and where we want to build our indoor track."

While Hennessy wasn't ruling out further discussion on the sports campus project, it was clear the Santry development remains the priority for the AAI: "Of course if someone comes to us with some alternative proposal we will look at it, we'd be mad not to . . . It doesn't make sense for us to be anywhere else, with our outdoor stadium already at Santry, and all sorts of other reasons, just as the new hotel which is to go close by, the second track at ALSAA down the road, and of course the proximity to the airport."

Definitely ruled out of the campus is the plan for a golfing academy, as the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) last year finalised their plans for a €5.5 million headquarters and golf academy at Carton House in Maynooth.

"This (sports campus) will be of no advantage to us whatsoever," said Seamus Smith, general secretary of GUI. "Our academy will take care of all our coaching facilities, and we have already plans to build new headquarters on the grounds.

"Initially we were talking to the Government, in the earlier stages of the project. At that point they were talking about a golf academy at Abbotstown, which we were very excited about, and keen to row in behind. But when that didn't materialise we had to move on. We have an excellent relationship with Carton House, which includes the purchase of a half acre of land to build the new headquarters, and also the arrangement where they have provided us with 22 acres of land, which the GUI will develop and maintain as our own national golfing academy."

Another element of the original sports campus plan was a €20 million tennis centre, which would become a sort of training centre and headquarters for Tennis Ireland. Yet that association has also pursued its own plans, with work under way on a €1.3 million facility in Glasnevin, adjacent to Dublin City University - and which has been approved for €800,000 in Government funding.

"Our project is signed, sealed and as of this week being delivered," said Des Allen, chief executive of Tennis Ireland. "We are hoping to see it completed by July. So for all intents and purposes our needs are already filled, at least in the short term.

"The Abbotstown project may yet be of some use to us in the longer term, and you could build one hell of a tennis centre for €20 million. But after all that has happened so far I would be amazed anyway if any work is carried out at the campus in the short term."

The Government, however, is determined to establish some sort of sporting campus and headquarters at Abbotstown. Legislation is being put in place to establish CSID on a statutory basis, and under that remit they would develop and manage the campus.

The issue of funding - whether private or otherwise - is, according the Department spokesperson, not the pressing issue: "Before any specific money can be allocated, the first step is for CSID to consult with the various interested parties, and to revisit to the existing plans with a view to their drawing up a business plan which would meet the interests of the sports."